Hezbollah in ‘disarray’ after leader’s death. What does it mean for Canada?

Hezbollah could resort to international terrorism following the killing of its leader Hassan Nasrallah, a top expert warned.

The Lebanese militant group, which has long had a presence in Canada, has lost many of its commanders in recent Israeli air strikes.

It’s headquarters was destroyed last week and “they are in disarray,” said Matthew Levitt, author of Hezbollah: The Global Footprint of Lebanon’s Party of God.

“One concern is that if the group is less capable of carrying out cross-border attacks, it could resort to increased acts of international terrorism,” Levitt said in an interview.

“Another concern is that supporters around the world, angry at the loss of Nasrallah, could carry out attacks on their own.”

The collapse of the powerful Iranian-backed armed group will also be felt in Canada, where Hezbollah has been active since the 1990s.

Members of Hezbollah’s global network have lost their lines of communications and are likely fearful given Israel’s actions, said former intelligence officer Andrew Kirsch.

“The question is does a lack of organization mean that people might take matters into their own hands?” the former Canadian Security Intelligence Service officer said.

“Is that a concern, whereas before people waited for instructions and everything would be coordinated, and now if you lose the command the control, does that meant that people have more flexibility to act independently?”

But he said Canadian police were “very much on alert.”

Inspired by the Iranian revolution, Hezbollah formed in 1982 in response to Israel’s invasion of Lebanon, and has been in conflict with its southern neighbor ever since.

With the backing of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Hezbollah became what the Canadian government calls