Teenage Palestinian icon Ahed Tamimi is infuriating critics after she heaped praise on Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah.

Tamimi was imprisoned by Israeli authorities in December after she was caught on video slapping an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldier who entered her family's property during a protest against illegal settlements near the residence in the occupied West Bank town of Nabi Saleh.

Tamimi confronted the soldier after the IDF had shot her 15-year-old cousin from close range in the head with a rubber-coated steel bullet. She was sentenced to eight months in prison for the act and released in late July.

Nasrallah called the 17-year-old Ahed Tamimi "brave and courageous" in February.

"This is a girl who confronts the Israeli soldiers and slaps them," he said.

"His words boosted our morale — not just my morale, but the morale of many people, because I represent the people. I'm not just representing myself, but the people and the cause," Tamimi said in a video published on Thursday.

She added that she wanted to tell Nasrallah that "he always makes us grow stronger."

"We all support him and are proud of him," she added.

Tamimi has since been criticized online by opponents of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and pro-Saudi accounts for her endorsement of the Hezbollah leader and her claim that he represents Palestinians; critics have claimed that she's "scum" and that her supporters deserve "spit in the face."

In a writeup of the video, Israeli media outlet Times of Israel called Nasrallah a "terror chief."

Hezbollah is classified as a terrorist organization by the United States. In 2006, it helped repel Israel when the country invaded Lebanon. Since then, the group has morphed into something of an international army which has helped turn the tide in favor of the government in Syria and takes part in the Lebanese government.

On Thursday, the Jerusalem Post reported that the IDF's Golani Brigades, named after the illegally occupied Golan Heights, had wrapped up week-long war games simulating a fight against Hezbollah.

Sputnik