Hezbollah holds funeral of ex-leader Nasrallah months after Israeli assassination

By Omar Tamo

Tens of thousands of mourners attended the funeral of Hezbollah’s longtime chief Hassan Nasrallah and his heir, Hashem Safieddine, almost five months after they were killed by Israeli strikes on Lebanon.

The assassination of the two leaders in Beirut in September was a devastating blow to Iran’s most powerful militant group, and marked a pivotal moment in the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. A few days after their deaths, Israel escalated its military operations in Lebanon with a ground incursion on its northern neighbor.

On Sept. 27, the 64-year-old Nasrallah — who Israel had made clear was a target for assassination and for years avoided making public appearances — met with other Hezbollah leaders in a bunker almost 20 meters underground. Israeli jets dropped around 80 bombs on the site. The headquarters and several nearby buildings were destroyed. Around 30 people were killed overall.

Hezbollah’s current chief, Naim Qasem, called on supporters to attend the funeral at the national football stadium in Beirut as a demonstration of the group’s strength. Iran, which sponsors Hezbollah as well as Hamas in Gaza, sent a high-level delegation, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, to take part.

The election of US and Saudi-backed Joseph Aoun as Lebanon’s leader last month was an illustration of Hezbollah’s weaker state, ending a two-year power vacuum and pulling the country away from Iran.

The funeral was held off until now due to security concerns. Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in November and, while both sides have accused each other of breaching the terms, it’s endured so far. Earlier this week, Israel withdrew its troops from southern Lebanon, except for five outposts just inside the border.

Hezbollah wanted the funeral to be a “display of support and commitment,” Qasem said. Nasrallah will be buried in a plot of land on the airport road connecting Beirut to its southern suburbs, while Safieddine will be laid to rest in his hometown in southern Lebanon.

Under Nasrallah’s 32-year leadership, Hezbollah — thanks to Iran’s funding and training — evolved into one of the most powerful militias in the world. Tehran viewed the group as a key part of its defense in any conflict with Israel.

The former chief was Hezbollah’s “most iconic and charismatic leader,” said Firas Maksad, senior director for strategic outreach at the Middle East Institute in Washington. He was by far “the most dominant Lebanese political figure, wielding a veto over the Lebanese state and its fragile institutions for more than two decades,” according to Maksad.

The Shiite organization built an influential social and political network in Lebanon as well as a large arsenal of missiles and rockets, before Israel’s military campaign wiped out much of it.

Israel’s full-on offensive on Hezbollah — which followed almost a year of cross-border rocket fire between the two sides — led to the deaths of thousands of Lebanese and displacement of about one million people. Hezbollah had begun firing at Israel in solidarity with Hamas following the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023.

The assassination of Nasrallah, along with Hezbollah’s “defeat by Israel and the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria, has left Iran’s regional axis in disarray,” said Maksad.

Lebanese state media reported Israel stuck southern Lebanon villages on Sunday morning, as Hezbollah supporters head to Beirut for Nasrallah’s funeral.

The Israel Defense Forces said it conducted a strike on a military site containing rocket launchers and weapons in Lebanese territory where Hezbollah activity was identified, and struck several rocket launchers that posed an “imminent” threat to its civilians.

Iran’s foreign minister warned that any assumption of Hezbollah’s demise following the death of its leader would be a “miscalculation of the realities.” Araghchi emphasized that “the resistance is alive, Hezbollah is alive, and it remains committed to its cause,” asserting that the group would continue its path despite external pressures.

Both Hezbollah and Hamas are designated terrorist organizations by the US and many other countries.