New York Times slammed for claiming terror boss was ‘gifted orator’

The New York Times has been slammed for publishing an article claiming Hezbollah terror boss Hassan Nasrallah was a ‘gifted orator’ who wanted ‘equality’ for all religions. The article, titled ‘Protesters Mourn Nasrallah’s Death Around the World’, was uploaded onto the website on Saturday and quickly began receiving a flurry of backlash, criticism, and mockery across social media.

The short article piled praise onto the Hezbollah terror boss, who the NYT claimed was a ‘powerful orator’ who was ‘beloved among many Shiite Muslims’, in part for providing ‘social services’ in Lebanon. It also stated Nasrallah ‘maintained that there should be one Palestine with equality for Muslims, Jews, and Christians’.

But the terror leader notoriously believed in the destruction of the Jewish state and his Iran-backed militant organization carried out several deadly attacks on Jews around the world. Although he often claimed to be anti-Zionist and not anti-Semitic, Nasrallah was quoted in a Times article from May last year chillingly saying: ‘If Jews all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide’. 

Nasrallah, 64, was killed in a major aerial bombardment by Israeli forces in Beirut on Friday – in an incident that came as a huge, almost unthinkable shock across the globe. ‘The Times readership is now down to liberal elites, politicians, Communists and Islamists,’ one X user wrote in response to a post highlighting portions of the article viewed nearly 250,000 times. ‘This is so embarrassing. How does anyone take the NYT seriously anymore?’ another user asked.

Another accused the Gray Lady of ‘Jihadsplaining’ and ‘attempting to turn explicit calls for genocide into something positive.’ Three senior Israeli defense officials told the NYT on Saturday that more than 80 bombs were dropped over several minutes to kill Nasrallah after Israeli leaders had been tracking his location for months. The sources, who remained anonymous, added the operation had been planned earlier in the week before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu left to speak at the United Nations General Assembly.

Confirming Nasrallah’s death on Saturday, Hezbollah pledged to keep up its fight against Israel. They said: ‘The leadership of Hezbollah pledges… to continue its jihad in confronting the enemy, supporting Gaza and Palestine, and defending Lebanon and its steadfast and honorable people.’ 

Nasrallah had been in power within Hezbollah since February 1992, overseeing the group in its transition from a militant group forged in the 1982 Lebanon War, against the backdrop of the wider Lebanese Civil War, into a political party and regional powerhouse. His death is being viewed as a massive blow to the Iran-backed group, that could potentially destabilize Lebanon as a whole. A triumphant IDF spokesperson said at the time of his death: ‘Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world.’

Under the leadership of the 64-year-old Shia cleric, Hezbollah has fought wars against Israel and taken part in the conflict in neighboring Syria, helping tip the balance of power in favor of President Bashar Assad. Ali Karki, the Commander of Hezbollah’s Southern Front, and additional Hezbollah commanders, were also killed in the attack, the Israeli military said. It comes as the IDF released a graphic on social media showing the Hezbollah senior figures who had so far been ‘eliminated’ – adding that they had ‘dismantled’ the group. 

More than 20 Hezbollah members were also killed alongside their boss Nasrallah in Friday’s airstrike, Israel said. Among those ‘eliminated’ include the head of Nasrallah’s security unit, Ibrahim Hussein Jazini, and Samir Tawfiq Dib, who the IDF described as ‘Nasrallah’s long-time confidant and adviser’. ‘Due to their proximity to him, they served a significant role in the day-to-day operations of Hezbollah and Nasrallah in particular,’ the IDF said.

A source close to Hezbollah told AFP on condition of anonymity that contact with Nasrallah had been lost since Friday evening. He had been rumoured killed during Israel’s last war with Hezbollah in 2006, the source said, adding that he later re-emerged unscathed. A military statement said the strikes also killed Ali Karake, who the statement identified as commander of Hezbollah’s southern front, and an unspecified number of other Hezbollah commanders.

‘During Hassan Nasrallah’s 32-year reign as the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, he was responsible for the murder of many Israeli civilians and soldiers, and the planning and execution of thousands of terrorist activities,’ the statement said. ‘He was responsible for directing and executing terrorist attacks around the world in which civilians of various nationalities were murdered. Nasrallah was the central decision-maker and the strategic leader of the organisation.’

White House national security spokesman John Kirby (pictured) said Israel’s airstrikes had ‘wiped out’ Hezbollah’s command structure, but he warned the group will work quickly to rebuild it. ‘I think people are safer without him walking around,’ Kirby said of Nasrallah during an appearance on CNN today. ‘But they will try to recover. We’re watching to see what they do to try to fill this leadership vacuum. It’s going to be tough. Much of their command structure has now been wiped out.’

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