Nasrallah hails Hezbollah s martyred military commander

The leader of the Lebanese Islamic resistance movement Hezbollah, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, heaps praise on the movement's military commander Mustafa Badreddine, who was martyred in Syria last week, saying he was a front-runner in the fight against Zionist regime.

According to Press TV, Nasrallah said in a televised speech on Friday "Badreddine played a key role alongside [his predecessor] Imad Mughniyeh... in the 2006 war against Israel before assuming several responsibilities including the dismantling of Zionist regime's spy networks."

Nasrallah was speaking to mark one week after Badreddine was martyred.

He said Badreddine was tasked with overseeing Hezbollah's security and military units in Syria since Takfiri terrorists initiated a war there in 2011.

Hezbollah fighters are combating alongside the Syrian government forces against a range of terrorist groups operating in the war-torn Arab country, including Daesh and the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front.

The Hezbollah leader said Badreddine was initially directing the Syria operation from Lebanon, but later “insisted” on traveling to Syria to oversee in person the sensitive operation.

Nasrallah said Hezbollah was against Badreddine’s presence in Syria as the group knew of the media controversy that would arise of his involvement in the war.

He noted that Badreddine’s presence in Syria helped Hezbollah prevent the fall of the country “into the hands of Takfiris and their American masters and spies in the region.”