Turkish PM offers condolences to Hizbullah chief after cleric dies.
By JPOST.COM STAFFRecep Tayyip Erdogan 311(photo credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Turkish Prime Minister Recept Tayyip Erdogan called Hizbullah chief Hassan Nasrallah to give his condolences over the death of Hizbullah spiritual leader Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, Al-Manar reported on Wednesday."Erdogan gave his condolences and asked to relay them to Fadlallah's family and the Lebanese people," the Lebanese television station reported.RELATED:Top Shi'ite cleric, 75, dies in LebanonCNN editor sad over ayatollah's deathAl-Manar added that "Nasrallah responded by expressing appreciation for the telephone call, and for Erdogan's stance on the Palestinian issue."Fadlallah died on Sunday, after a long illness. According to AFP, He is blacklisted as a terrorist by the United States along with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.Fadlallah founded Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's governing Dawa Party and was thought to be its religious guide. In the 1980s, he was described as the spiritual leader of Hizbullah; however, both he and the group denied the claim.The spiritual leader was known for his staunch anti-American stance, was instrumental in the rise of Lebanon's Shiites, and had a strong following among Shiite communities both in Lebanon and his native Iraq.CNN’s senior editor of Middle East affairs, Octavia Nasr, drew fire after posting a message on her Twitter account on Sunday in which she expressed sadness at the Fadlallah's death.“Sad to hear of the passing of Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah... One of Hezbollah’s giants I respect a lot,” Nasr wrote.
