The former Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was assassinated by Israel on Sep. 27, 2024. AFP photo, archives.
An undated and previously unheard audio recording has surfaced of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in what appears to be a meeting discussing military affairs with the former head of the party’s elite al-Radwan unit, Ibrahim Aqil. Aqil was assassinated by Israel on Sept. 20, 2024, in a bombardment of a residential building in Beirut's southern suburbs. The attack killed around a dozen other Radwan unit commanders as well as around 40 civilians who lived in the building, which collapsed in the strike.
Nasrallah was killed seven days later in a massive attack on the same neighborhood in which Israel dropped dozens of 2,000-pound 'bunker bombs,' killing a yet unknown number of people.
The approximately one-minute-long audio clip of Aqil and Nasrallah's conversation was initially broadcast by the television channel al-Manar, before becoming shared widely on social media platforms. They appear not to have been alone during the discussion which centers around the party's "rules of engagement."
During the clip, Nasrallah and Aqil, who have decided that Hezbollah fighters will confront Israeli soldiers, establish how their party's fighters should navigate the confrontation and adapt the rules of engagement to conditions on the ground.
The cat-and-mouse tactic
“The nature of engagement is variable," Aqil is heard saying. "It is dictated by movements on the ground and the enemy’s capabilities, and we must quickly move to the cat-and-mouse tactic we mentioned.”
“We have achieved a fundamental objective through this entire discussion, which allowed me to indirectly establish the general framework of orientation and thinking," he continues. "We are our own masters, and all of this is nothing more than an opening of horizons. Our task is to set the rules of engagement against the enemy. You are then free to act according to the conditions on the ground,” possibly addressing Radwan unit commanders or fighters.
“It is illogical to create rigid models. That would make things difficult,” Nasrallah then says. “If you agree, we will adopt the vision mentioned by the hajj [believed to be Aqil]. We will therefore set our rules of engagement and tell our sector leaders: here are the rules you will follow and on the basis of which you will fight.”
Mixed reactions online
Reactions to this recording came quickly and, as always, reflect the deep division between Hezbollah supporters, who pay tribute to their leader killed by the Israeli army, and critics of the party, who denounce its illegal arsenal. “We miss you, the noblest of men… May God bless you!” one comment on X reads, echoed by many.
Another X account shared a previous speech by Nasrallah. “He reminds us that the battle against this cancerous entity may be long, but its horizon and outcome are clear for the fighters.”
“The release of these recordings is the clearest proof that the party unconsciously knows it is finished, which is not wrong,” retorted another account.
“Hassan… Hassan… Your supporters have abandoned you! They let you die underground in the most atrocious way, just as they let Hashem Safieddine, the last Hezbollah secretary-general, die…” another comment reads.
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