In a revealing video address on Friday, May 24, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah confirmed the significant role played by former Iranian regime president Ebrahim Raisi in providing financial and military support to Tehran’s regional militant proxies. Nasrallah’s comments came during a tribute to Raisi and his Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who both died in a helicopter crash on April 19.
As reported by Tehran-funded Al-Manar TV, Nasrallah praised Raisi’s dedication, stating, “Iran mourned the death of Ebrahim Raisi and Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, but it is neither confused nor weakened.” He lauded the Iranian regime for its continued commitment to supporting militant groups in the region despite these losses.
Al-Manar quoted Nasrallah as saying, “We express our sharing of the feelings and meanings of loss and some of our loyalty to those who have always stood with us and never abandoned us one day.”
In his speech, Nasrallah praised Raisi’s efforts of meddling in the region, under the pretext of “strengthen diplomatic presence and prioritize relationships with neighboring countries.” He highlighted Raisi’s staunch commitment to what he described as “the Palestinian cause and resistance movements,” implicitly acknowledging the regime’s influence in causing instability across the Middle East.
#Iran News:
Regime Sends Defiant Message in Meeting with Militia Commandershttps://t.co/wJxMW2a9r4— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 23, 2024
Nasrallah added, “Mr. Ebrahim Raisi, through his position in the Presidency of the Republic, worked to support the Palestinian cause and the resistance movements in the region at every level, and his commitment to this issue was great. He was assisted by Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who believed in the resistance and loved it, and we have known him for a long time. The martyrs were his passion.”
Nasrallah’s acknowledgment of Raisi’s involvement underscores the Iranian regime’s ongoing strategy of using proxies to exert its influence across the Middle East.
On Thursday, May 23, amid the funeral ceremonies for Ebrahim Raisi in Mashhad, Iranian state media reported that top commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Quds Force held a meeting in Tehran with representatives of their allied militias. The timing and dissemination of news and photos from this meeting, while global attention was focused on Iran, sent a clear message from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei about escalating regional tensions.
Since Raisi’s death, a key figure in Khamenei’s strategy to consolidate power, the regime has embarked on a large PR campaign to project strength and obscure its deep-seated internal divisions. As some media observers in the West have noted the state-staged funerals and ceremonies as a sign of support, they seem to forget their previous perceptions and are poised to be surprised by new uprisings and major developments within Iran.
