Mughniyeh: "The Coming Response"
Today marked the first anniversary of the assassination of Hezbollah militant figure Imad Mughniyeh (pictured left). Hezbollah has promised retaliation for what it deemed an act by Israel, and there are indications the group has indeed attempted to launch retaliatory operations against Israeli interests outside the Middle East, leaving many eager to see if and when an attack will come.
However, February not only marks the month of Mughniyeh’s death, but also that of two of the group’s key founding leaders; spiritual leader Ragheb Harb (assassinated in 1984) and first Secretary General ‘Abbas Al-Mussawi (assassinated in 1992). The anniversaries of these incidents in recent years have followed the Shia holiday of ‘Ashoura, the observance of Imam Hussein’s martyrdom during the saga of Karbala, perhaps giving February and the death of these figures added significance.
Not surprisingly, a celebration dubbed ‘Islamic Resistance Week’ has become a February mainstay ceremony for Hezbollah and its constituents. This year it will kick-off on the 16th. Thus, one might ask whether the media spectacle enabled by this ‘caravan of martyrs’ (pictured below) is of more value to Hezbollah, an organization whose political culture relies heavily upon notions of armed ‘resistance’ and Shia martyrdom, than any retaliatory attack might be.
