An important asset in Hassan Nasrallah's leadership over Hizbullah is his credibility. The Shiite leader has been known for doing what he promises.
The belief in Nasrallah's credibility is shared not just by his followers in the Arab World but also by his enemy – the Israelis. During the 2006 War between Israel and the Lebanese Shiite movement, Israeli journalists glorified Nasrallah's credibility regarding the developments in the battlefields. His reports were more accurate compared to the Israeli military establishment's information. Thus, it came as no surprise when during the War, a poll conducted by an Israeli daily found that the majority of Israelis believed Nasrallah more than to their own leaders.
Since the war has ended, the Israeli authorities and especially the security/intelligence apparatus have been trying to damage Nasrallah's widespread credibility. The Israelis have been making efforts to disseminate false information on his deteriorating health situation and his internal problems in leading Hizbullah following the war.
In January 2008, the charismatic Hizbullah leader said in a fiery speech that his group had the "heads" and "body parts" of Israeli soldiers, as well as "a nearly intact cadaver". "We have the heads, the hands, the feet and even a nearly intact cadaver from the head down to the pelvis," he said. "The Israeli army left behind the remains of the bodies of a large number of soldiers," said Nasrallah. At that time, the Israeli army denied these remarks.
Nasrallah waited to prove his point until June 1…. On that day, Lebanese detainee Nassim Nisr, who spent six years in Israeli jails, was released. As Nisr returned to his homeland, Hizbullah handed the ICRC with some body parts of Israeli soldiers. The Israeli media and the military establishment were surprised by Nasrallah's move. Prior to Nisr's release, Israeli officials insisted there is no agreement with Hizbullah over a swap deal.
The following day, the Israeli media had to quote Lebanese newspapers saying that Nasrallah proved his credibility once again and embarrassed the political and military leadership in Israel. "Hizbullah proves it was right when it claimed that it had the body parts of Israeli soldiers," an anonymous "security source" told the Beirut-based As-Safir newspaper.
In sum, Shiekh Hassan Nasrallah has proved again that unlike many leaders in the Arab World, he is a man who honors his words with deeds. His recent comments about an imminent prisoners exchange deal with Israel should be taken seriously, despite Israeli denials….
