Huge crowds gather for Hezbollah leader’s funeral

Large crowds have gathered for the funeral of Hezbollah’s former leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli air strike in Beirut in September.

Mourners dressed in black flocked to a stadium on the outskirts of the Lebanese capital on Sunday. They also paid their respects to Hashem Safieddine, Nasrallah’s successor, who was killed in a separate Israeli strike before he could assume his post.

Nasrallah, the former leader of the Lebanese militant Shia Islamist group, was one of the most influential figures in the Middle East.

Hours before the funeral began at 13:00 local time (11:00 GMT), Israel launched air strikes in southern Lebanon targeting Hezbollah rocket launchers.

People braved the cold to attend the funeral, which was held at the 50,000-capacity Camille Chamoun Sports City stadium.

Nasrallah’s coffin was draped in Hezbollah’s flag and paraded along with Safieddine’s casket through huge crowds of black-clad mourners.

Excerpts of Nasrallah’s speeches were played to the gathered supporters, who chanted, waved flags and held portraits of the leaders.

One mourner, 55-year-old Umm Mahdi, told the AFP news agency that the funeral was the “least we can do” for the late Hezbollah leader “who gave up everything” for his cause.

Prior to his death, Nasrallah had not been seen in public for years because of fears of being assassinated by Israel.

The late leader had close personal links to Iran and played a key role in turning Hezbollah into the political and military force it is today. He was revered by the group’s supporters.

Under Nasrallah’s 30-year leadership, Hezbollah – which is banned as a terrorist organisation in the UK, US and other countries – helped train fighters from the Palestinian armed group Hamas, as well as militias in Iraq and Yemen, and obtained missiles and rockets from Iran for use against Israel.

He died aged 64 in Dahieh, a closely-guarded suburb of Beirut. After Nasrallah’s death, Hezbollah allowed open access to the area for the first time for a public memorial.

The mass funeral is an apparent show of strength for Hezbollah, which suffered a series of major setbacks during Israel’s campaign in Lebanon last year.

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X that Israeli planes were flying over the stadium while the funeral took place to “convey a clear message: whoever threatens to destroy Israel – that will be the end of them”.

Israel’s incursion into Lebanon came after almost a year of cross-border hostilities sparked by the war in Gaza.

Lebanon was subject to an intense Israeli air campaign and a ground invasion of the country’s south.

Dozens of senior figures were killed when Israeli-made walkie-talkies were detonated in a surprise attack in September 2024.

Many of Hezbollah’s most senior military and political leaders were also killed during the latest conflict with Israel.

The offensive killed around 4,000 people in Lebanon – including many civilians – and led to more than 1.2 million residents being displaced before a ceasefire deal was struck in November.

Representatives from Iran, Iraq and Yemen attended the funeral, which was delayed to allow time for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon – though some troops still remain.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the slain leaders as “two heroes of the resistance” in a speech.