Hassan Nasrallah

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's Hezbollah group announced a new political strategy on Monday that tones down Islamist rhetoric but maintains a tough line against Israel and the United States. The new manifesto drops reference to an Islamic republic in Lebanon, which has a substantial Christian population, confirming changes to Hezbollah thinking about the need to respect Lebanon's diversity. Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who read the new "political document" at a news conference, said it was time the group introduced pragmatic changes without dropping its commitment to an Islamist ideology tied to the clerical establishment in Iran. "People evolve. The whole world changed over ... Read Full Story

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah vowed on Monday that his party would continue to build up its arsenal to protect Lebanon against Israeli aggression and accused Washington of exporting terrorism. "The ongoing Israeli threat forces the resistance to continue to boost its capacity ... in order to fulfill its role in liberating occupied territory," the head of the Lebanese Shiite militant group said in a rare news conference held via videolink to present Hezbollah's new political manifesto. "The Israeli threat ... calls for Lebanon to have a defence strategy built on the presence of a popular resistance that helps to defend the country against Israeli ... Read Full Story

Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said Monday that the role of the US in the region is diminishing and thus weakening the Jewish state. "We are amid historical transformations that signal the retreat of the US role and the demise of the Hebrew State," opposition leader Nasrallah told journalists via a video feed in Beirut's southern suburbs. "The most dangerous aspect of the US logic is that they think they own the world and are entitled to dominate it, based on superiority in several domains," the Hezbollah leader said. But Nasrallah said that his movement does not underestimate current challenges and threats or the ... Read Full Story

Hassan Nasrallah was re-elected head of Hezbollah on Thursday following a congress that also adopted a new manifesto, which is to be revealed in coming days, the militant Shiite party announced. Nasrallah, 49, has headed Hezbollah since 1992 when his predecessor, Abbas Moussaoui, was killed in an Israeli helicopter raid. A statement by the party, created in 1982, said Nasrallah would explain the contents of the manifesto at a press conference to be announced soon. The Hezbollah leader has lived in hiding since the 2006 war between his group and Israel and rarely appears in public. His last press conference was held via video ... Read Full Story

Hassan Nasrallah was re-elected head of Hezbollah on Thursday following a congress that also adopted a new manifesto, which is to be revealed in coming days, the militant Shiite party announced. Nasrallah, 49, has headed Hezbollah since 1992 when his predecessor, Abbas Moussaoui, was killed in an Israeli helicopter raid. A statement by the party, created in 1985, said Nasrallah would explain the contents of the manifesto at a press conference to be announced soon. The Hezbollah leader has lived in hiding since the 2006 war between his group and Israel, which devastated Lebanon, and rarely appears in public. His last press conference was ... Read Full Story