Women walk in front of a banner covering the facade of a building in Tehran, hours before his funeral in Beirut on February 23, 2025. (Photo by Atta Kenare / AFP)
Beirut, Lebanon: Tens of thousands of mourners dressed in black vowed support for Hezbollah at the Beirut funeral of slain leader Hassan Nasrallah Sunday, after the group was dealt major blows in its last round of hostilities with Israel.
Women wailed as a black truck carrying the coffins of Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine -- Nasrallah's chosen successor killed in another Israeli air strike before he could assume the post -- slowly moved through the crowd, topped with two black turbans and draped in Hezbollah's yellow flag.
The September killing of the charismatic leader, who led the Lebanese movement for more than three decades, in a massive Israeli strike dealt a heavy blow to the group's reputation as a fighting force.
But Hezbollah, which also played a major role in the country's politics for decades, has long had a support base in the country.
The funeral ceremony for Nasrallah and Safieddine began at 1pm (1100 GMT) at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium on the outskirts of Beirut.
People visit Beirut's Camil Chamoun sports city, as preparations are made a day ahead of the funeral ceremony, on February 22, 2025. (Photo by Ibrahim Amro / AFP)
Excerpts of Nasrallah's speeches were blasted in the stadium with tens of thousands of supporters raising their fists in the air and chanting "we are at your service Nasrallah" and "we are loyal to the promise Nasrallah".
Many men, women and children from Lebanon and beyond walked on foot in the biting cold to reach the site of the ceremony, that was delayed for months over security concerns.
One of them was Umm Mahdi, 55, who had come "to see him (Nasrallah) one last time and see his shrine".
"This is the least we can do for Sayyed who gave up everything," she added, using an honorific.
Women in long black robes and men carrying portraits of Nasrallah burst into tears as excerpts of his speeches were broadcast on a screen.
AFP correspondents at the stadium said the venue, which organisers said could accommodate roughly 78,000 people, was fully packed.
