Martyr Nasrallah Was an Unique, Unparalleled Leader: Ayatollah Sistani

Iraq’s prominent Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Sistani offered his condolences over the martyrdom of the late Hezbollah leader.

Grand Ayatollah Sistani, expressed sorrow on Saturday over the assassination of Hezbollah leader Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburbs.

In a rare statement, Sistani said, “We received with deep sorrow the news of the martyrdom of Hujjat al-Islam wal-Muslimeen Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, along with several of his comrades in the Lebanese resistance and many innocent civilians, in the tragic massacre carried out by the Israeli army in Beirut’s southern suburb.”

Nasrallah, the most prominent in Hezbollah’s resistance to Israeli occupation, was praised by Sistani as “a unique leader in recent decades.” He noted that Nasrallah played “a distinguished role in liberating Lebanese territories” and had shown support for Iraq’s fight against Islamic State (ISIS) militants.

“He stood by the Iraqis in their battle to liberate their country from Daesh [ISIS] and took notable positions in supporting the oppressed Palestinian people, even paying with his life for that cause,” the statement said.

Hezbollah secretary-general Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah was martyred in the Israeli strike, the Resistance Movement said in a statement on Saturday afternoon.