In the days following the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, Iraq has seen an increase in the number of newborns being named in his honor.
According to Iraq’s Ministry of Health, about 100 babies were registered with the name “Nasrallah” across the country.
Nasrallah, seen in many Arab countries as a symbol of resistance against Israeli and Western influence, has built a significant following in Iraq, particularly among the country’s majority Shia community.
His murder has increased anger throughout Iraq. Mass protests broke out in cities across the country, condemning Israel’s actions and declaring the killing a violation of international law.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani described Nasrallah as a “martyr on the path of religion”. During the three-day state mourning, vigils were held across the country in honor of the Hezbollah leader, whom many revere as a symbol of resistance against Israel and Western influence in the region.
Nasrallah’s ties to Iraq run deep, rooted in both religion and political ideology. Born in 1960 to a modest family, Nasrallah studied Islam at a Shia seminary in the Iraqi city of Najaf. It was here that his political ideology took shape and he joined the Dawa Party, ultimately setting him on a path that would define his militant and political career.
Nasrallah’s rise within Hezbollah began after Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982. Formed with the support of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Hezbollah was initially a militia aimed at opposing Israeli forces.
Nasrallah took over the reins of Hezbollah in 1992 after the assassination of his predecessor and mentor Abbas Mousavi. Over the next three decades, he transformed the group into a regional powerhouse, influencing conflicts from Syria to Yemen and training Palestinian fighters in Gaza.
Under Nasrallah’s leadership, Hezbollah’s power grew both militarily and politically. The organization helped provide missiles and rockets to groups such as Hamas and militias in Iraq and Yemen, part of a broader ‘axis of resistance’ to Israel and its allies.
Nasrallah was particularly popular among Iraqis who criticized the American presence in Iraq after the 2003 invasion, cementing his image as a symbol of resistance to Western intervention.
However, his leadership was not without controversy. Hezbollah’s suspected involvement in the 2005 assassination of then-Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri polarized Lebanon. The group’s involvement in the Syrian civil war, fighting alongside Bashar al-Assad’s forces, alienated many of Lebanon’s Sunni population, leading to increased sectarian tensions.