“Nasrallah was not only the face of Hezbollah but also a figure of immense symbolic and strategic importance within the broader Iranian-led regional alliance. He has been instrumental in Hezbollah’s military and political successes against Israel, its support of [President Bashar Assad's Syria], and its backing of the Houthis in Yemen. His death represents a major moral and leadership setback, leaving a vacuum that’s difficult to fill,” Salamay, an associate professor of political science and international affairs at the Lebanese American University, told Sputnik.
Dr. Salamay expects Nasrallah’s assassination to result in a sharp spike in attacks on Israel by Hezbollah and its allies to try to exact revenge, and more broadly, to potential “shifts in regional alliances, a recalibration of Iran’s strategies in Lebanon, and possibly more aggressive Israeli policies aimed at capitalizing on Hezbollah’s weakened position.”
As for foreign involvement in Nasrallah’s assassination, Dr. Salamay says it’s “highly unlikely that such an operation was conducted without the direct assistance and coordination of the United States and other Western intelligence agencies,” given the requirement for “extensive intelligence sharing and technological support” for “operations of this scale and precision, especially one targeting a high-value figure like Nasrallah.”