New Lebanese leadership aims to weaken Hezbollah’s power

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf is set to travel to Lebanon on Sunday to attend the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah, the former leader of Hezbollah, according to Iranian media reports.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather in Lebanon for Nasrallah’s funeral, following his death in an Israeli airstrike on September 27, 2024. The attack also claimed the life of Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan, a high-ranking commander in Iran’s Quds Force, responsible for Tehran’s external military operations.

Hezbollah, both a militarized organization and a dominant political party in Lebanon, was founded in the 1980s in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution. It has received substantial financial and military support from Tehran over the years.

Following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the Gaza war, Hezbollah opened a northern front against Israel. The hostilities escalated into full-scale war in September 2024, before a ceasefire was brokered two months later.

The new Lebanese leadership, including the President and Prime Minister, has sought to limit the public exposure surrounding Nasrallah’s funeral. 

The government is attempting to diminish Hezbollah’s political prominence, as the group has played a significant role in Lebanon’s prolonged political and economic crises over the past decades.