How will Nasrallah's death affect Hezbollah? Journalist Mustafa Kemal Erdemol responds

On the fifth day of Israel's attacks on Lebanon, a series of explosions occurred in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. In the attacks that took place yesterday, it was claimed that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had been killed, but this could not be confirmed. Today, the Israeli military officially announced that Nasrallah has been killed.

Journalist Mustafa Kemal Erdemol provided exclusive comments to 12punto regarding how the organization will proceed following the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

"A FORCE THAT ENSURES LEBANON'S UNITY"

Stating that Hezbollah reached its current strength after leader Nasrallah took over the role from his predecessor, Mustafa Kemal Erdemol said, "Nasrallah took over the duty from the previous Hezbollah leader and was a much more visionary leader than the other. It is Nasrallah who brought Hezbollah to its current power. Hezbollah is almost an army. It is much stronger than the Lebanese army and has far more weapons than it. It is a force that was able to stop Israel twice, in 1982 and in the early 2000s. It is perhaps the only force that ensures Lebanon's unity and protects it against foreign powers—especially against Israel."

"A LEADER CONSIDERED SINCERE"

Journalist Erdemol pointed out that Nasrallah was considered more sincere compared to other organization leaders and used the following expressions:

"Nasrallah was a leader who did not impose an Islamic state or an Islamic society, and who said he respected Lebanon's diversity. He was among the leaders considered sincere. He does not resemble Hamas or others."

"A VERY IMPORTANT LOSS"

Stating that non-Muslim communities in the country also supported Nasrallah, Erdemol said, "It is even such that non-Muslim communities in the country were also supporting Nasrallah. Therefore, the death of Nasrallah is a very important loss. It is one of the greatest losses Hezbollah has suffered so far, not just symbolically but in every sense."

WILL THIS SITUATION AFFECT HEZBOLLAH?

Stating that Hezbollah is a very large structure, Erdemol said, "Will it affect Hezbollah, will it lower its power, will it eliminate its ability to fight and resist? We cannot say that immediately. Because we are talking about a really huge structure. We cannot say it is finished, it has disappeared. There will inevitably be repercussions. Israel has been very disreputable despite what it has done for a long time. Because what they do needs to have a meaning, but it has no meaning."

"IT WILL BE A VICTORY FOR ISRAEL"

Expressing that Nasrallah's death is a real victory for Israel, Erdemol said, "With the death of Nasrallah, Israel has taken revenge for 32 years. That is why it is truly a victory for Israel. Israel is not Hezbollah's only enemy. If Hezbollah were not in Lebanon—I am not saying this for all Christians, because the vast majority of Christians support Hezbollah—we would not have experienced so many problems. There is also a phenomenon of a Lebanese government that says, 'Whatever happens to us is because of the existence of Hezbollah and Palestine.' After the Nasrallah era, their complaints might emerge much more strongly. This could create problems for Hezbollah. However, Hezbollah is not a community that came from outside. It is an organization raised in Lebanon, grown within Lebanon, and rooted there."