Funeral of slain Hezbollah chief Nasrallah held in Beirut

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Tens of thousands gathered in Beirut on Sunday to attend the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and his cousin and top aide, Hashem Safieddine, nearly five months after their assassination.

Nasrallah, who led Hezbollah as its secretary-general for more than 30 years, was killed on September 27 in an Israeli airstrike on a residential neighbourhood in Beirut. Safieddine served as the head of the Executive Council and was a member of the group’s Jihad Council responsible for military operations. He was killed in an Israeli airstrike on October 23.

The funeral, delayed for security reasons, was held at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium in the southern outskirts of Beirut.

In a speech delivered at the event, Nasrallah’s successor, Naim Qassem, stated that the assassination of Nasrallah and Safieddin was intended to “end the resistance” in Lebanon. He added that the “exceptional resilience” of the group was “a major achievement” and described the notable turnout at the funeral ceremony as “an expression of loyalty rarely seen in the history of Lebanon.”

A Hezbollah-affiliated member of parliament, Hussein Hajj Hassan, had stated on Saturday that the funeral will convey a message to “friends and allies, as well as enemies and rivals, that we have not and will not weaken or falter.”

The assassinations of Hezbollah’s top leaders came amid heightened hostilities between the Iran-backed group and Israel. The conflict had escalated on October 8, following the outbreak of the Gaza war between Israel and Hamas, when Hezbollah launched a ‘back-up front’ from the Lebanese side to support its Palestinian allies.

Confrontations intensified after Israel’s mid-September “Pagers Operation,” which remotely detonated Hezbollah’s communication devices, and the subsequent assassinations of Nasrallah and Safieddine. The war continued until November 27, when both sides reached a ceasefire deal, requiring Israeli forces to withdraw from Lebanon and Lebanese armed groups, including Hezbollah, to disarm.

An informed source in Beirut told Rudaw English that a high-profile delegation from Iraq, comprising 70 to 100 Iraqi officials, including lawmakers, politicians and figures from the pro-Iran Popular Mobilization Forces, attended the funeral. Key attendees included PMF Chief of Staff Abdulaziz (Abu Fadak) al-Muhammadawi, and Chairman Falih al-Fayyadh. However, officials from the Shiite Coordination Framework were absent. The source estimated that a little over 40,000 Iraqis will also attend the funeral ceremony in Beirut.

From Iran, Tehran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, attended the procession. The Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Araqchi as stating that “Nasrallah’s legacy went beyond the battlefield,” underscoring his vision for the future of the “Resistance Front” and regional independence. Qalibaf remarked that Israel had been “expelled from Lebanon,” emphasizing Iran’s “unwavering support for Lebanon’s government, parliament, resistance, and people.”

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, sent his representative, Mojtaba Hosseini, to attend the event.

Following the eruption of the October 2023 war in Gaza, Nasrallah was widely regarded as the top military commander of the Iran-led ‘Axis of Resistance.’ Meanwhile, Safieddine played a crucial role in shaping Hezbollah’s military and political responses, coordinating with Iran and regional allies. The deaths of both leaders represent a major blow to the Iran-led ‘Axis of Resistance,’ significantly weakening Tehran’s influence in the region.

Funeral of slain Hezbollah chief Nasrallah held in Beirut

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