Thousands gathered in Beirut on Sunday to attend the funeral of Hezbollah's former chief Nasrallah, five months after he was assassinated by Israel. The funeral, dubbed the biggest in Lebanon in decades, will witness top Iranian leaders, including Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, attending the ceremony.
Lebanese officials, including the parliament speaker and representatives of the president and prime minister, were expected to attend the funeral.
Hezbollah has made huge preparations for Sunday’s funeral by setting up the stadium to host tens of thousands of people. Giant screens have been put up along the airport road outside the stadium for people.
Large crowds gather at Beirut Sports City for the funeral of martyr Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s secretary-general, assassinated by Israel 148 days ago. pic.twitter.com/ieEumtpN2u
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Nasrallah was killed after Israel dropped over 80 bombs on the terror group’s main operations room in Beirut, almost a year after the October 7 attack which saw Israel declare war against Hamas and Iranian proxy group Hezbollah.
According to Hezbollah official Ali Daamoush, 800 personalities from 65 countries will attend the funeral. "Come from every home, village and city so that we tell the enemy that this resistance will stay and is ready in the field," Daamoush said, referring to Israel.
Besides Nasrallah, his cousin and successor Hashem Safieddine will also be laid to rest a few days later. Safieddine was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb a few days after Nasrallah's death. The two had temporarily been buried in secret locations.
Qalibaf, who set out to Beirut told reporters that the Iranian delegation comprised members of the office of the Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, as well as representatives from President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration, the Judiciary, and Parliament.
