Thousands attend the funeral of Hezbollah leader months after his death

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Beirut early on Sunday to attend the funeral of Hezbollah’s former leader, nearly five months after he was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a southern suburb of the Lebanese capital.

Hassan Nasrallah was killed when Israel’s air force dropped more than 80 bombs on the militant group’s main operations room. His death was a major blow for the Iran-backed group that the late leader transformed into a potent force in the Middle East.

Nasrallah was the group’s leader for more than 30 years and one of its founders.

He enjoyed wide influence among Iran-backed groups in the region and was widely respected in the so-called Iran-led axis of resistance that included Iraqi, Yemeni and Palestinian factions.

People drive past a billboard with pictures of Lebanon’s late Hezbollah leader (AP/Bilal Hussein)

Officials from around the region, including Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, were expected to attend the funeral at the Lebanese capital’s main sports stadium.

Lebanese officials including the parliament speaker and representatives of the president and prime minister were expected to attend the funeral believed to be Lebanon’s largest in two decades.

Senior Hezbollah official Ali Daamoush told reporters on Saturday that about 800 figures from 65 countries will be attending the funeral in addition to thousands of individuals and activists who came from around the world.

“Come from every home, village and city so that we tell the enemy that this resistance will stay and is ready in the field,” Mr Daamoush said, referring to Israel.

Nasrallah will be laid to rest later Sunday in Beirut while his cousin and successor Hashem Safieddine, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb a few days later, will be laid to rest in his home town in southern Lebanon.

The two had temporarily been buried in secret locations.

Hezbollah earlier this month announced plans for their official funerals.

Hezbollah has been calling on its supporters to attend the funeral in large numbers in what appears to be a move to show that the group remains powerful after suffering major blows during a 14-month war with Israel that left many of its senior political and military officials dead.