Hundred newborns in Iraq named 'Nasrallah' after assassinated Hezbollah leader

Iraq's health ministry has reported that around a hundred newborns have been named "Nasrallah" in the days since the Lebanese Hezbollah chief, Hassan Nasrallah, was assassinated by Israel.

The ministry registered 100 births across various regions of Iraq given the name, several local media outlets reported.

The move was "in honour of the martyr of the resistance", one outlet said.

Nasrallah was assassinated in a massive Israeli strike on the southern suburb of Beirut on Friday.

Born in 1960, Nasrallah joined Hezbollah in 1982, the year it was formed with the help of Iran's Revolutionary Guards to fight against Israeli forces invading Lebanon.

Known as a dedicated student of Shia Islam, he quickly rose through the ranks and became the third secretary-general of the group in 1992 after Israel assassinated his predecessor Abbas Musawi.

He was widely seen as a symbol of resistance against Israel and Western influence in the region by many in Iraq, particularly within the country's majority Shia population.

His opposition to US influence in the Middle East also appealed to many Iraqis, particularly those critical of the US presence in Iraq following the 2003 invasion of the country.