Hezbollah supporters on Sunday flocked to the funeral of slain leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Photo by Stringer/EPA-EFE
Large numbers of Hezbollah followers flocked to Beirut’s largest sports stadium on Sunday to attend a mass funeral of their slain leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, nearly five months after he was assassinated in an Israeli strike.
Chanting “Death to Israel” and “Death to America,” the mourners packed the Camille Chamoun Sports City stadium and the surrounding streets since the morning hours to pay tribute to Nasrallah and his cousin and successor Hashem Safieddine, who was also killed by Israel. Advertisement
The mourners, waving Hezbollah flags and carrying Nasrallah’s pictures, included a high-ranking Iranian delegation, Iraqi politicians and militia commanders, representatives of Yemen’s Houthis and supporters from other countries in the region.
“Nasrallah is the nation’s martyr… We will never forget him,” an elderly man who came from the Hermel district in eastern Lebanon told a local TV station. Advertisement
Another woman still refuses to believe that Nasrallah, who led the Iran-backed group since 1992, was killed. “We are not here to bid him farewell… All those people think that he was martyred but we wait for him now to show up and make a speech.”
Many broke into tears when a truck carrying the Hezbollah-draped coffins of Nasrallah and Safieddine entered the 55,000-seat stadium.
While the mass funeral was meant to show Hezbollah’s strength and continued support by its Shiite community, Israel sent four of its warplanes to fly at low altitude over Beirut twice during the ceremony, prompting the crowd to raise their fists and shout “Death to Israel.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened Hezbollah, saying in a statement that the Israeli jets circling over Beirut were sending a clear message: “Whoever threatens to destroy Israel and attacks Israel — that will be their end.”
“You will be busy with funerals — and we will be busy with victories,” Katz said.
Hezbollah mourners tried to reach the coffins as they were paraded inside the stadium, throwing flowers, scarves and other clothing pieces that were lobbed back to them, believing they were now blessed.
Nasrallah, who gained wide respect among Iraqi, Yemeni and Palestinian factions forming the so-called Iran-led “axis of resistance,” was assassinated when Israeli warplanes bombarded his bunker in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sept. 27. Advertisement
Safieddine, who served as the head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council from 2001, was elected as the new secretary-general to succeed Nasrallah but was killed Oct. 3 before the group could make the announcement.
After their death, Nasrallah and Safieddine were buried temporarily in locations inside the group’s stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
Their official funeral was delayed because of then Israel’s intensified air strikes and until it withdraws its forces in line with a Nov. 27 cease-fire agreement that was brokered by the U.S. and France to end 14 months of a devastating war between the two enemies.
Israel pulled out its forces from southern Lebanon after the 60-day cease-fire deadline was extended to Feb. 18 but it retained five outposts inside southern Lebanon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that his country will continue to hold territories inside Lebanon until the Lebanese army and government “fulfill all their obligations” under the cease-fire agreement.
Mourners accompanied Nasrallah at the end of the funeral ceremony on Sunday to his final resting place in the southern suburbs near the airport where a shrine was erected.
Safieddine will be buried on Monday in his village of Deir Qanoun En Nahr in southern Lebanon. Advertisement
“Today, we bid farewell to an exceptional, historical, national, Arab and Islamic leader,” said Hezbollah’s current leader Sheikh Naim Qassem, who did not attend the funeral and addressed the mourners via large screens.
Qassem pledged to continue Nasrallah’s path and not abandon the anti-Israel resistance “even if they kill us all.”
He said despite Israel’s “unprecedented crimes” and attempts to end the resistance in Lebanon and Gaza, Hezbollah remains strong, and Palestine will be liberated.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who met with Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi before they joined Nasrallah’s funerals, said Lebanon paid “a heavy price” in defense of the Palestinian cause.
“Lebanon is tired of others’ wars on its land,” Aoun said.
