{"id":53276,"date":"2025-02-23T14:03:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-23T14:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/huge-crowds-gather-for-hezbollah-leaders-funeral\/"},"modified":"2025-02-23T14:03:00","modified_gmt":"2025-02-23T14:03:00","slug":"huge-crowds-gather-for-hezbollah-leaders-funeral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gulftimes.ae\/?p=53276","title":{"rendered":"Huge crowds gather for Hezbollah leader’s funeral"},"content":{"rendered":"
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People waved flags, chanted and held portraits of Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine during the event<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Nasrallah, the former leader of the Lebanese militant Shia Islamist group, was one of the most influential figures in the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Hours before the funeral began at 13:00 local time (11:00 GMT), Israel launched air strikes in southern Lebanon targeting Hezbollah rocket launchers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Nasrallah and Safieddine were both killed in Israeli air strikes last year<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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People braved the cold to attend the funeral, which was held at the 50,000-capacity Camille Chamoun Sports City stadium.<\/p>\n
Nasrallah’s coffin was draped in Hezbollah’s flag and paraded along with Safieddine’s casket through huge crowds of black-clad mourners.<\/p>\n
Excerpts of Nasrallah’s speeches were played to the gathered supporters, who chanted, waved flags and held portraits of the leaders.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Prior to his death, Nasrallah had not been seen in public for years because of fears of being assassinated by Israel.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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The killing of Hezbollah’s charismatic leader dealt a heavy blow to the Iran-backed group<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n
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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. <\/p>\n
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”.<\/p>\n
Israel’s incursion into Lebanon came after almost a year of cross-border hostilities sparked by the war in Gaza.<\/p>\n
Lebanon was subject to an intense Israeli air campaign and a ground invasion of the country’s south.<\/p>\n
Dozens of senior figures were killed when Israeli-made walkie-talkies were detonated in a surprise attack in September 2024.<\/p>\n
Many of Hezbollah’s most senior military and political leaders were also killed during the latest conflict with Israel.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described the slain leaders as “two heroes of the resistance” in a speech.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Many of Hezbollah’s most senior military and political leaders were also killed during the conflict with Israel last year<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n\n
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Representatives from Hezbollah’s international allies – including officers affiliated with the Houthis – attended the funeral<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n\n
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Nasrallah was a hugely popular figure in Lebanon before prior to his death<\/figcaption><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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