Middle East News | Nasrallah re-elected Hezbollah chief for 6th term

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader re-elected

Hassan Nasrallah was re-elected head of Hezbollah late on Thursday following a congress that also adopted a new manifesto, which is to be revealed in coming days, the armed Shiite party announced.

Nasrallah, 49, has been heading Hezbollah since 1992 when his predecessor, Abbas Moussaoui, was killed in an Israeli helicopter raid.

A statement by the party, created in 1982, said Nasrallah would explain the contents of the manifesto at a press conference to be announced soon.

The Hezbollah leader has lived in hiding since the 2006 war between his group and Israel and rarely appears in public. His last press conference was held via video link.

The group, considered a terrorist organization by Washington, has two ministers in the new government formed earlier this month.

Hezbollah's first manifesto in 1985 called for the establishment of Islamic rule in Lebanon, but the party leadership has toned down its rhetoric in recent years as it gained political clout.

The Thursday statement said the new political document adopted at the party congress endorsed modifications in line with changes that have taken place within the party in recent years.

Hezbollah's leadership elections are usually held every three years but they were last held in 2004. A Hezbollah official said the two-year delay was caused by internal Lebanese differences and the 2006 Hezbollah-Israel war. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

Hezbollah has over the years grown to run a network of interests -- clinics, schools, a TV station and a weekly newspaper. It caters mainly to Lebanon's 1.2 million Shiite Muslims, the country's largest single sect.