Hezbollah preparing funeral procession for leader Nasrallah

Hezbollah is preparing a funeral procession for its slain leader Hassan Nasrallah now that the Israeli war on Lebanon has ended, an official from the Iran-backed militant group said Wednesday.

Nasrallah was killed along with other Hezbollah and Iranian officials in a massive Israeli airstrike on a southern Beirut suburb on 27 September, 10 days after Israel dramatically escalated its attacks on Lebanon, turning a low-level conflict which began in October 2023 into a full-scale war.

A ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel went into effect in the early hours of Wednesday after two months of ferocious Israeli attacks which killed hundreds of people and displaced over a million more.

“We postponed the funeral of the secretary-general [Hassan Nasrallah] in order to carry out a funeral worthy of him and his spirit and his testimony, along with companion, Hashem Safieddine,” said Mahmoud Qamati, deputy chair of Hezbollah’s political council.

“We are currently preparing this funeral, which will be exceptional, strong…” said Qamati.

Safieddine, Nasrallah’s maternal cousin, was also assassinated in another massive airstrike in the southern Beirut suburb of Mreijeh on 3 October. His death was confirmed by Israel and Hezbollah about three weeks later.

He was poised to become Hezbollah’s next leader. Sheikh Naim Qassem currently heads the group.

Israel eliminated much of Hezbollah’s senior command structure during this war.

Hezbollah MP Ibrahim Al-Moussawi told Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV: “Preparations have been completed, and I believe that the appropriate date and time will be chosen for this event.”

“You will witness a majestic and great procession for the masses of this community, in honour of the community’s martyr and leader Hassan Nasrallah,” he said.

Nasrallah has been buried temporarily at an undisclosed location. His funeral procession is expected to draw in tens of thousands of his supporters.

He hails from the southern village of Bazouriyeh in the Tyre district, but it remains unclear where his final resting place will be.