Reply #2: Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah makes rare appearance

[bemildred]

REPORTING FROM BEIRUT -- Making a rare public appearance, the leader of Hezbollah struck a defiant note Tuesday, warning those “banking on change” that the militant Shiite Muslim group in Lebanon is continuing to build its military arsenal.

The surprise appearance by Sheik Hassan Nasrallah at a rally to commemorate the Shiite festival of Ashura appeared calculated to instill confidence in supporters at a time of upheaval in the Arab world, including in Syria, a key backer that has come under growing international pressure for its bloody crackdown on protests.

Ashura, one of the holiest days on the Shiite calendar, commemorates the 7th century killing of the prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussein.

Nasrallah has rarely been seen in public since 2006, when Hezbollah fought a 34-day war with Israel. Arab television networks showed the leader, flanked by black-clad bodyguards, wading through a throng of ecstatic supporters in his stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/world_now/2011/12/hezollah-leader-sheik-hassan-nasrallah-makes-rare-appearance.html