Trudeau Says Hezbollah Leader Killed Innocent Civilians, ‘Caused Immense Suffering’

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks at a Liberal fundraiser in Mississauga, Ont., on Sept. 27, 2024. The Canadian Press/Paige Taylor White

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Sept. 27, was instrumental in causing terror in the Middle East and has inflicted considerable suffering on innocent people.

“He was the leader of a terrorist organization that attacked and killed innocent civilians, causing immense suffering across the region,” said Trudeau in a series of posts on X on the evening of Sept. 28.

His comment came after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced earlier that day that Nasrallah, who led the Iran-backed terrorist group in Lebanon for over three decades, had been killed in an airstrike on Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut. Hezbollah also confirmed its leader’s death on the same day as the IDF announcement.

The IDF said Nasrallah was “responsible for the murder of many Israeli civilians and soldiers, and the planning and execution of thousands of terrorist activities,” during his reign as Hezbollah’s secretary-general. Nasrallah led Hezbollah from 1992 to 2024.

“He was responsible for directing and executing terrorist attacks around the world in which civilians of various nationalities were murdered,” the IDF’s statement said.

‘Diplomatic Solution’

In his posts on Sept. 28, Trudeau also said more must be done immediately to protect civilians, urging “calm and restraint during this critical time.”

“Canada is working toward a diplomatic solution that allows people to return home safely to Israel and Lebanon. We want peace and stability in the region — and we reiterate our calls for urgent ceasefire,” the prime minister wrote on X.

Just days earlier, on Sept. 25, Canada had issued a joint statement with its allies calling for “an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Lebanon-Israel border,” citing an “unacceptable risk of a broader regional escalation.”

The statement, issued along with the United States, Australia, the European Union, France, Germany, the UK, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabic, United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, called on the governments of Lebanon and Israel and all parties involved to endorse the temporary ceasefire and “give a real chance to a diplomatic settlement.”

‘Justice’

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre took a different stance from that of Trudeau, saying that the Lebanese terrorist group should be the one to cease fire.

“Hezbollah should immediately cease their attacks on the people of Israel, stop using innocent people in Lebanon as human shields and lay down their arms so this war can come to an end,” Poilievre wrote on X on the morning of Sept. 28, hours before Trudeau posted his comments.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre rises during question period, in Ottawa on Sept. 26, 2024. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

The Tory leader added that the elimination of Nasrallah “means justice for countless families that have lost loved ones at the hands of this genocidal terrorist.”

“The people of Israel, Lebanon and the Middle East have suffered for decades as a result of his violence and terror, backed by the criminal regime in Tehran,” he said.

‘Won’t Rest’

Hezbollah joined the Hamas terrorist group in its war against Israel on Oct. 8, 2023—a day after Hamas launched a surprise attack on the Jewish state. Since then, the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has driven tens of thousands of people from their homes on both sides of the border.

Israel’s counterattacks against Hamas and Hezbollah drew condemnation from many in the international community who pointed to its apparent brutality and wide-reaching destruction of civilian infrastructure.

The IDF’s Sept. 28 announcement of Nasrallah’s killing said the Hezbollah central headquarters where the targeted strike was conducted was “located underground embedded under a residential building.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the IDF’s strikes on Lebanon.

“Nasrallah was not just another terrorist, he was the terrorist,” Netanyahu said in a statement on Sept. 28.

“The elimination of Nasrallah is a necessary condition in achieving the objectives we have set: Returning the residents of the north safely to their homes, and changing the balance of power in the region for years.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 27, 2024. The Associated Press/Pamela Smith

Speaking at the U.N. General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 27, Netanyahu told world leaders that there is a “moral confusion” when Israel is being accused of committing genocide when it is in fact defending itself “against enemies who try to commit genocide against us.”

“We face savage enemies who seek our annihilation, and we must defend ourselves against them,” he said, adding that these enemies seek not only to destroy Israel but also “destroy our common civilization and return all of us to a dark age of tyranny and terror.”

Another moral confusion, Netanyahu said, is the accusation that Israel is “deliberately targeting civilians.” While “our enemies use civilians as human shields,” he said, “no army has done what Israel is doing to minimize civilian casualties. We drop flyers. We send text messages. We make phone calls by the millions to ensure that Palestinian civilians get out of harm’s way.”

The Israeli prime minister said his country “won’t rest” until its citizens, including those held as hostages by Hamas, can return home safely.

“Israel has every right to remove this threat and return our citizens to their homes safely.”

Andrew Thornebrooke, Reuters, and The Canadian Press contributed to this report.