Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah on Saturday stunned many in the Middle East. Even in countries hostile to Israel, such as Lebanon, Syria, and Iran, some Middle Easterners celebrated the downfall of the controversial figure.
Videos circulating on social media show jubilant crowds from the Idlib region of northwestern Syria. Upon hearing of Nasrallah’s death, celebrants in the videos pour into the streets, holding Syrian flags and handing out candies.
Hezbollah has been a key ally of Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011. The Iran-backed group helped Assad’s forces regain control of several critical Syrian provinces, including Aleppo, and helped him maintain his grip on power despite internal opposition.
The militia’s presence in Syria was initially justified as a mission to protect Shiite holy sites and border villages, but it soon expanded to encompass active military engagement in Sunni-majority areas, causing many civilian casualties.
“The people of Idlib are celebrating Nasrallah’s death after all the evil things he did against them,” said Mofida Akir, an activist in the Syrian revolution. “I personally cried a lot out of joy because a tyrant was killed, and this means that others may follow, like Assad. I rejoiced for every mother and wife whose son or husband was killed by him and his militia, or those who generally experienced displacement and violence.”
“We would have been even more joyful if he had been killed by the hands of Syrians as vengeance for our blood,” Akir continued. “We are just grateful that he doesn’t pose a threat anymore to our country.”
Idlib is known as the last bastion of Syrian rebel forces opposed to Assad’s rule. The area is also home to millions of displaced Syrians, many of whom fled other parts of the country due to the regime’s violence.
Rizik al-Abi, a Syrian journalist reporting from Idlib, said that most of the region’s residents are internally displaced people. Residents of Idlib are suffering due to attacks by Assad’s army, lack of proper infrastructure, and economic instability, he said.
Al-Abi noted that Hezbollah has a growing presence in Aleppo, Homs, and Damascus. He expressed a desire that Syria be ruled by Syrians “without Iran interfering anymore.”
“The death of the head of one of its proxies is diminishing its power for sure,” al-Abi said. “Despite the media not discussing this enough, many people are against Assad and these entities in our country, but some are too afraid of repercussions to go out and show it.” '
