In Beirut, astonishment after the death of Hassan Nasrallah

In the grocery store at the entrance to the Shiite district of Khandak Al-Ghamik, in the center of Beirut, the cashier is inconsolable. Wearing a dark veil, the young Lebanese woman has been unable to hold back her tears since Hezbollah confirmed, early in the afternoon, Saturday September 28, the death of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, killed in a Israeli strike the day before in the southern suburbs, a stronghold of the Shiite party. Many Shiites had developed a sense of intimacy with the charismatic leader.

All around the grocery store, time seems to stand still. Mute men, with somber faces, wait for instructions regarding the ceremonies, seated on plastic chairs. A man has bandages on each hand and face, like many Hezbollah recruits, injured by the explosion of their pager, due to sabotage attributed to Israel, ten days ago. Men remain standing under the porch of a building, sheltering from possible stray bullets. Bursts of gunfire ring out in the air at regular intervals, in homage to the « martyr ».

In the heart of the neighborhood, the atmosphere is electric. Young people are at their wits’ end, between anger and feelings of abandonment. No directive has yet been given to them by the leadership of the Shiite party. Local Hezbollah leaders are not sure they can handle them. Journalists are invited to stay away during this moment of contemplation and affliction, which could boil over at any time.

The astonishment is firstly due to the speed with which Hezbollah, a political and military movement, which had acquired the stature of a powerful regional non-state actor, was decapitated. “In ten days, the story acceleratednotes Ali Mourad, professor and political activist. Hezbollah has suffered substantial losses, although it remains to be seen what remains of the organization. »

“He was everything to us”

“The community has lost its bearings. It lost its absolute leader, who symbolized its strength and its hegemony on the Lebanese political scene.continues Mr. Mourad. The sense of power and pride that Hassan Nasrallah projected, whose aura was unmatched within the Shiite community, gave way to vulnerability.

“The death of Sayyed Nasrallah will not break the movement but it breaks our hearts. He was everything for us, and everything for Lebanon, like a father, like an idol. We grew up with him. He showed us the way. They killed him because his goals were great”said Hussein (first name has been changed), his eyes red. He lost nine members of his family in strikes on the southern suburbs this week. This 21-year-old Party of God volunteer distributes water to the displaced, who found shelter last night in Martyrs’ Square, in the center of Beirut.

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