Tens of thousands of people attended a funeral in Beirut for Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Iran-backed Lebanese militia and political party Hezbollah for three decades, who was killed in an Israeli bombing last September. The ceremony was held in a sports stadium in the southern suburbs of Beirut, which had extra seats installed in anticipation of the massive crowds. The funeral for Nasrallah and his deputy, Hashem Safieddine, who was also killed in an Israeli airstrike in early October, was delayed for five months due to security concerns. Most of Hezbollah’s senior leadership was killed by Israel late last year, due to Israel’s deep intelligence infiltration of a group once famed for its secrecy. Mourners carrying pictures of Nasrallah and waving Hezbollah flags packed the stadium, with several foreign delegations attending the funeral, including the Iranian foreign minister and several Iraqi lawmakers. Nasrallah was born into a working-class family in Beirut in 1960 and was one of the founding members of Hezbollah. He became a celebrated figure in Lebanon for Hezbollah’s role in ending Israel’s occupation of south Lebanon in 2000, although his image was tarnished after the group’s intervention in Syria’s civil war.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/23/massive-crowds-attend-funeral-of-late-hezbollah-leader-nasrallah-lebanon