Hezbollah's chief Hassan Nasrallah made a rare public appearance today at a rally in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, as shown on his Shiite movement's Al-Manar television.
It was a first appearance in public since last September for Nasrallah, public enemy number one for Israel and a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad whose troops have been battling an insurgency since 2011.
Nasrallah, who lives in hiding, spoke from behind a protective pulpit at a hall packed with supporters waving Hezbollah's yellow flag to mark Quds (Jerusalem) Day, an annual event celebrated in Iran since the country's 1979 Islamic revolution in support of the Palestinians.
In his speech, Nasrallah thanked "Iran and Syria for all they are doing for Palestine".
His appearance comes less than two weeks after the European Union listed Hezbollah's military wing as a "terrorist" organisation.
