Hundreds of thousands gather in Lebanon for Nasrallah's funeral: Hezbollah bids farewell to its leader

12punto FOREIGN NEWS

In the Lebanese capital of Beirut, Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine, who lost their lives in Israeli airstrikes on September 27 and October 3, 2024, will be laid to rest in a funeral ceremony. Hezbollah announced that the ceremony would be held at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, which has a capacity of approximately 55 thousand. The stadium was full one hour before the ceremony, which is set to begin at 13:00 Turkish time. Hundreds of thousands who could not enter the stadium are continuing to wait in the streets.

Before the funeral ceremony, giant portraits of Nasrallah and Safieddine were hung on walls and bridges in southern Beirut. A clip prepared for Nasrallah titled 'O honorable and dear man' was shown to the crowd gathered at the stadium in the early hours of the morning. Delegations sent from Yemen, Iraq, Tunisia, Turkey, and other countries also arrived for the ceremony.

According to Reuters, 25 thousand security personnel were assigned to control the crowd during the ceremony. It was also stated that 4 thousand security personnel were deployed to the area to oversee the event. Lebanese security sources announced that an additional 4 thousand soldiers and security officers were sent to the region. It was noted that Hezbollah's current leader Naim Qassem would deliver a speech at the ceremony.

Following the ceremony, Nasrallah's body will be buried in the village of Burj al-Barajneh, and Safieddine's body will be buried in the village of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr. A funeral procession will be held near the airport highway before the burial procedures.

ISRAEL ATTACKED BEFORE THE CEREMONY

It was reported that Israel carried out an airstrike on the Tyre region in southern Lebanon before the funeral ceremony. Lebanese media reported that Israeli aircraft struck two targets in the region. It was alleged that the attack was aimed at Hezbollah's activities.

Hamas spokesperson Abdullatif al-Qanou stated that Nasrallah's support for the Palestinian people would not be forgotten, saying:

'The sacrifices made by Nasrallah and his comrades will always have a place in the memory of the Palestinian people.'

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, in a post on the social media platform X, described Nasrallah and Safieddine as 'brave sons of the Lebanese nation.' The Iranian leader wrote in his message, 'We remain loyal to our word.'

The death of Nasrallah, who led Hezbollah for more than thirty years, caused a serious drop in morale within the organization. The funeral ceremony brought life in Lebanon to a standstill. The ceremony, which was postponed for months due to security reasons, is being held today with the participation of hundreds of thousands of people.

News Source: 12punto