The recent demise of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, as confirmed on Saturday, has sparked a wave of controversial obituaries.
Among these, an Associated Press (AP) obituary has drawn criticism for its portrayal of Nasrallah as a "pragmatist," while glaringly omitting the group's involvement in the deaths of hundreds of Americans and other victims of terror.
According to Breitbart News, Nasrallah met his end in an Israeli airstrike on Friday evening. The AP obituary, however, painted a picture of Nasrallah as a transformative figure who turned Hezbollah into a formidable regional force. It detailed his ascent through the terrorist ranks, his battles against Israel, and his dwindling popularity following Hezbollah's entry into the Syrian civil war. Yet, it conveniently overlooked crucial aspects of Nasrallah's life, including his role in widespread murder across the Middle East, his deliberate targeting of civilians, and Hezbollah's involvement in the killing of Americans.
The AP obituary stated, "A fiery orator viewed as an extremist in the U.S. and much of the West, as well as in some oil-rich Gulf Arab countries, he was also considered a pragmatist compared with the firebrand militants who dominated Hezbollah after its founding in 1982, during Lebanons civil war."
This narrative, however, fails to acknowledge a critical fact highlighted in the White House's response to Nasrallah's death - Hezbollah's responsibility for the deaths of hundreds of Americans, including the bombing of the U.S. Marines barracks in Beirut in 1983.
President Joe Biden, in his statement, underscored this point, "Hassan Nasrallah and the terrorist group he led, Hezbollah, were responsible for killing hundreds of Americans over a four-decade reign of terror. His death from an Israeli airstrike is a measure of justice for his many victims, including thousands of Americans, Israelis, and Lebanese civilians." Biden concluded his statement by reiterating his call for a ceasefire.
The Beirut barracks attack also claimed the lives of fifty-eight French soldiers, prompting Louis Sarkozy, son of former French president Nicolas Sarkozy, to commend Israel for eliminating Nasrallah.
This tendency of mainstream media to eulogize terrorist leaders upon their death is not a new phenomenon. In 2019, the Washington Post referred to ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as an "austere religious scholar" following his death at the hands of U.S. special forces.
The portrayal of Nasrallah as a "pragmatist" by the AP, while disregarding his role in the deaths of hundreds of Americans, raises questions about the objectivity and integrity of such obituaries. It underscores the need for a more balanced and truthful representation of figures who have caused immense suffering and loss.
Login