The NEWSWEEK 50: Hassan Nasrallah, Shia Leader

Like a turbaned Big Brother from "1984," Lebanese Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah makes speeches on a giant video screen while his corporeal location remains a closely guarded secret. No surprise. The man who launched a war against Israel in 2006 and lived to tell the tale—a big victory by Arab standards—has been at the top of the Tel Aviv hit list ever since. The longer he stays alive, the bigger his stature grows: with the decline of Iraq's Moqtada al-Sadr, Nasrallah is now unquestionably the most influential radical Shiite leader in the Arab world. The long-oppressed minority sees a prouder future in him, even if not in the flesh.