Nearly five months after he was killed in an Israeli air strike, thousands of supporters of the long-time leader of Lebanon’s militant Hizbullah group have flown into Beirut for Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral on Sunday.
Nasrallah was killed on September 27th last when Israel’s air force dropped more than 80 bombs on Hizbullah’s main operations room in southern Beirut.
It was the biggest and most consequential of Israel’s targeted killings in years.
The death of Nasrallah, one of the Iran-backed Shia group’s founders and Hizbullah’s leader for more than 30 years, was a huge blow to the group that he had transformed into a potent force in the Middle East.
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Hizbullah, which the US and some of its allies have designated a terrorist organisation, has suffered significant losses in the latest war with Israel, including the killing of several of its most senior military and political figures.
Nasrallah’s cousin and successor, Hashem Safieddine, who was killed in an Israeli air strike on a Beirut suburb a few days later, will be laid to rest in his hometown in southern Lebanon. The two had temporarily been buried in secret locations.
Hizbullah had earlier this month announced plans for their official funerals.
Crowds are expected to gather on Sunday at Beirut’s main sports stadium for a funeral ceremony before Nasrallah’s interment.
Flights from Iraq, where Hizbullah has a huge following among Iraqi Shias, have been full for days on end.
According to an Iraqi transportation ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, up to 6,000 people have flown to Beirut over the past few days.
Nasrallah, idolised by his supporters and with large followings among the Shias and the Islamic world, also held the title of sayyid, an honorific meant to signify the Shia cleric’s lineage dating back to the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam.
However, Lebanese authorities have revoked permission for a passenger plane from Iran, leaving dozens who had wanted to attend the funeral stranded in Tehran and triggering protests by Hizbullah supporters in Lebanon.
The ban came after the Israeli army accused Iran of smuggling cash to Hizbullah by way of civilian flights, leading some in Lebanon to allege that their government had caved in the face of a threat from Israel.
US Republican representative Joe Wilson criticised Lebanese politicians who were planning to attend the funeral.
“Any Lebanese politician who attends the funeral of the murderous terrorist Hasan Nasrallah is standing with the Iranian regime,” Mr Wilson said on X.
