A man greets a poster of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah at the mausoleum erected in his honor in the southern suburbs of Beirut. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)
BEIRUT — Marking the second anniversary of Hezbollah's former Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah's assassination in an Israeli strike, Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei praised Nasrallah, saying that "no man has risen in that ancient land who matched him in greatness."
Nasrallah, who led Hezbollah for decades, was killed by an Israeli airstrike on the southern suburbs of Beirut a few days after the start of the war in September 2024.
"He elevated the name of Lebanon, a small country that for years had become a rear area for certain powers, to a position of greatness," Khamenei said. "Victory and triumph were his constant companions."
"Today, his glorious banner remains in the hands of Sheikh Naim Qassem, who continues to follow his path with courage at the forefront of the steadfast and Ashura-inspired ranks of Hezbollah," he added.
The supreme leader added that "these are significant and glorious days for Lebanon and all resistance fighters. They are days that will bring humiliation and ultimately disgrace to those who place their hopes in the false promises of the powers of domination and those who lie in wait for them as they confront the Zionist enemy."
After a cease-fire signed in November 2024, the war between Hezbollah and Israel was reignited on March 2, 2026, amid the Israeli-U.S. war on Iran. Despite a cease-fire in June, Israel continues to occupy swathes of south Lebanon and targets it daily.
Khamenei's speech was also delivered for the commemoration of Iran’s 1980-1988 war with Iraq. Regarding the current regional situation, Khamenei said: "Today, because of the painful blows inflicted on them by brave fighters and defenders of the Strait of Hormuz, they no longer advance beyond the Arabian Sea. Whenever they dare to do so, they harm themselves. Soon, the day will come when the Arabian Sea will also be free of them."
This comes as the war between the U.S. and Iran enters its seventh month, and two days after U.S. President Donald Trump rejected a new Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and end the war.
