Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei urged the Muslim world to support Hezbollah—a U.S.- and Israeli-designated terrorist group—on Sept. 28, as news emerged that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
“The Lebanese have not forgotten that there was a time when the soldiers of the occupying regime were advancing toward Beirut, and Hezbollah stopped them, and made Lebanon proud,” Khamenei said in a Sept. 28 statement.
The Iranian leader’s remarks appeared to allude to an Israeli invasion of Lebanon that began in 1982 and persisted through the ‘80s and ’90s. Hezbollah formed in reaction and has since established itself as a predominantly Shia Muslim political faction within the Lebanese government while operating its military wing to fight Israel.
Hezbollah has continued to fight intermittently with Israel throughout the past four decades, with support from Iran.
Oct. 7, 2023, marked a rebirth of conflict throughout the region, as Hamas terrorists infiltrated southern Israel and carried out extensive killings and kidnappings, setting off an ongoing battle in the Gaza Strip.
Within hours of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks, Hezbollah renewed its longstanding fight with Israel by launching rockets and artillery at Israeli-controlled areas along the Israel–Lebanon border. Israeli forces returned fire, and both sides have continued to trade fire across the border for nearly a year since.
Khamenei, the political and religious leader of Iran, shared his message of support for Hezbollah, as Israeli forces conducted extensive air strikes across Lebanon, including on Hezbollah’s headquarters in a residential area of Beirut on Sept. 27.
On Sept. 28, Hezbollah confirmed that Nasrallah was killed in the Sept. 27 strike. The Hezbollah announcement came around the same time that Khamenei called on Muslims across the region to assist in the fight against Israel.
“It is an obligation for all Muslims to stand with the people of Lebanon and the honorable Hezbollah, offering their resources and assistance as Hezbollah confronts the usurping, cruel, malicious [Zionist] regime,” the Iranian supreme leader said.
Other Iranian political leaders shared condolences for Nasrallah and echoed broader support for Hezbollah on Sept. 28.
In a statement, Iranian Vice President for Strategic Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif said the strike that killed Nasrallah was done with “complete disregard for innocent human life.”
“The resistance will continue as long as the cause, aggression and occupation persist,” Zarif said. “As we have always promised, Iran stands in solidarity with Lebanon, its people and the just cause of resisting aggression.”
“The Americans cannot absolve themselves from collaborating with the Zionists,” Pezeshkian said.
President Joe Biden, on Sept. 28, said that the news of Nasrallah’s death was “a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians.”
Biden said the United States “fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah” and other “Iranian-supported terrorist groups.” At the same time, he expressed hope of deescalating the ongoing conflicts in both Gaza and Lebanon through diplomatic means.
Biden said he instructed Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sept. 27 to “enhance” the U.S. military posture in the region as an added measure of deterrence.
It remains to be seen how Hezbollah and Iran respond to Nasrallah’s death.
In their own statement mourning Nasrallah’s death, Hezbollah’s leaders pledged they would continue “confronting the enemy” Israel and fighting “in support of Gaza and Palestine and in defense of Lebanon.”
