Thousands of people gathered at a stadium in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, to mourn Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah at a public funeral nearly five months after he was killed by an Israeli air strike.
Despite the devastating losses since Nasrallah’s death, including leadership uncertainty and increasing Israeli military pressure, he was determined to project strength, a debilitating Hezbollah held a funeral, to show unity and resilience.
Nasrallah was killed on September 27 when Israeli troops bombed a building in southern Beirut where he met with Hezbollah commanders. It was an amazing assassination that shocked supporters in Lebanon and the region as Israel celebrated the killing of a person who planned an attack on the country and posed a threat to its security.
After the attack on October 8, 2023, Israel announced the day after the war against Hamas began to exchange fires with Israel in support of the Palestinians. The 14-month conflict led to Israel’s ground invasion of Lebanon and bombed Beirut for a long time, which was led by Hezbollah and led to the death of Naslara.
The 48,000-seat Camille Chano Sports City Stadium at Hezbollah’s southern Beirut stronghold was shocked by the yellow and green of Hezbollah’s flag as the mourners paid tribute to the divisive leaders who had led the radical group for more than three decades.
A group of hundreds of cars were seen sailing towards the stadium at dawn, with supporters holding parallel salutes in the Iranian capital Tehran, Yemen and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
According to Reuters, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to join Iraqi delegations including Shiite politicians and militia commanders. The Hotis delegation from Yemen is also expected to participate.
His body will be buried at a nearby location after Sunday’s funeral.
The funeral will also commemorate Hashem Safieddine, who led Hezbollah just a week after Nasrallah’s death, and he was also killed by Israel. He will be buried in the southern part of the country on Monday.
After Nasrallah’s death, his body was temporarily buried next to his son Hadi, who died in Hezbollah in 1997.
When his funeral was held, the IDF launched an air strike in southern Lebanon on a “military field equipped with rocket launchers and weapons”, where it had identified Hezbollah’s activities.
According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, at least one girl was injured on the strike and she was taken to a Lebanese Italian hospital for treatment.
The attacks during the funeral highlighted the ongoing military pressure from Israel on the groups that defined the last year of Naslara’s life. Islamic scholars are respected by Hezbollah supporters, transforming the group from an armed faction of resistance to an influential political and military force in the region.
Although thousands pay tribute to the former leader, he left a legacy marked by deep admiration and fierce controversy.
Born in 1960 to a poor Shia family in Beirut, Nasrallah’s outstanding rise was shaped by the turbulent history of Lebanon and his deep ideological commitments.
In 1982, following the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, Nasrallah helped discover Hezbollah, an organization dedicated to resisting Israeli occupation and is known for its precise attacks.
Hezbollah attacks were designated by many countries, including the United States, Canada and the European Union, including the 1983 Beirut embassy bomb explosion, killing 63 people, including 17 Americans, and marine barracks bombs killed in the capital that same year The attacks were conducted on 307 people, including 241 U.S. military personnel.
Nasrallah became its leader in 1992, marking an era of change for Hezbollah, which expanded its military capabilities and political influence in Lebanon. Under his guidance, Hezbollah fought a 2006 war with Israel, and as the Rockets landed in Northern Israel, Israeli air strikes ravaged southern Lebanon for 34 days.
His influence surged in conflict, where he was widely regarded as a symbol of contempt for the entire Arab world. Hezbollah’s extensive media outlets have expanded his charm, making him an influential figure outside the Lebanese border.
He also established deep alliances with Iran and Syria, which provided key financial, military and political support to help Hezbollah become a major regional force.
However, his decision to send combatants to Syria to support President Bashar Assad in the country’s civil war marks a turning point. Once seen as a leader of resistance, he is increasingly regarded as an agent of Iran’s ambitions.
Hezbollah’s allegations of assassination by former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri have further eroded his position in parts of the Arab world.
Naslara’s death caused a major blow in the early days of Israel’s offensive when Israel launched a ground invasion in southern Lebanon and bombed its capital from the sky, which greatly weakened Iran-backed groups while proposing its future doubt.
In his supporters, he remains a staunch defender of Shia Muslims and Lebanon’s sovereignty. For his critics, he was a split figure who aligned Hezbollah’s trajectory with Tehran at the expense of national unity.
His competitive legacy symbolizes the political and sectarian trends of the Middle East, but his funeral emphasizes the lasting dedication of his followers.
