CNN fired Octavia Nasr, a 20-year senior editor of Middle East News, after she published a Twitter message saying she respected Lebanese Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, a branded terrorist by the United States. Fadlallah, one of Shiite Islam’s highest religious authorities and an early mentor of Hezbollah, died in Beirut on July 4. Nasr wrote on Twitter: “Sad to hear about the passing of Sayyed Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah … One of Hezbollah’s giants I respect a lot,” The New York Times reported. Fadlallah was a supporter of Iran’s Islamic Revolution and one of the first backers of the Iraqi Dawa Party of Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki. He was also the spiritual leader and mentor of Hezbollah when it was formed after Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982, though he later distanced himself from its ties with Iran.
CNN FIRES SENIOR EDITOR
CNN FIRES SENIOR EDITOR
