Defiant Farewell: Massive Crowds Mourn Nasrallah in Beirut

Beirut - Hundreds of thousands of people bid farewell to Hezbollah's slain leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah at a mass funeral in Beirut on Sunday, nearly five months after he was assassinated by Israel in a massive airstrike in a stunning blow to the group.

Carrying pictures of Nasrallah and flags of Hezbollah, supporters from Lebanon and other countries in the region filled Beirut's largest stadium Camille Chamoun and packed the surrounding streets. 

A large procession followed the late leader's coffin mounted on a truck, draped in yellow and green Hezbollah colours, to a shrine in southern Beirut, erected as his final resting place. 

The September killing of the charismatic leader , who had become a symbol of defiance against Israel and the West in Arab world, had deeply shocked his supporters.

In a dramatic escalation four Israeli warplanes flew low over the city breaking sound barriers apparently to deter crowds. However it had the opposite effect. The charged crowds raised intense slogans of "Death to Israel" in clear defiance.

Israel's Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X that Israeli planes were flying over the stadium while the funeral took place to "convey a clear message: whoever threatens to destroy Israel - that will be the end of them".

Speaking from a remote location, Hezbollah new Secretary General Naim Qassem addressed mourners and vowed to continue down Nasrallah's path "even if we are all killed."

Qassem said Hezbollah remained "strong".

"We will not submit and we will not accept the continuation of our killing and occupation," Qassem said.

New leader said Hezbollah would keep following Nasrallah's path and rejected any control of "tyrant America" over Lebanon.

Hezbollah considered Israel's five positions an occupation and was relying on the Lebanese government to secure a full withdrawal through diplomacy, he said.

"We choose to fire when we see fit and are patient when we see fit," said Qassem.

His speeches were blasted as the mourners raised their fists in the air and chanted "We are at your service" and "We are loyal to the promise, Nasrallah".

'CLINGING ON'

Among those in attendance were Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, an Iraqi delegation including politicians and militia commanders, a delegation from Yemen and activists from different countries.

The mass funeral was aimed at showing strength after Hezbollah emerged battered from last year's war with Israel, which killed most of its top political and military leadership besides hundreds of fighters, observers said.

Its weakened stature has been reflected in Lebanon's post-war politics, with the group unable to impose its will in the formation of a new government and language legitimising its arsenal omitted from the new cabinet's policy statement.

The impact on Hezbollah was compounded by the ousting of its friendly government in Syria, severing a key supply route.

His death, while a heavy blow to the group, also demonstrated the enduring loyalty of Hezbollah's supporters, who saw him as a defender of Lebanese sovereignty and an advocate for the Palestinian cause.

"We may have lost a great deal as a man, but we have not lost the value of the resistance because the resistance is clinging on," said Hassan Nasreddine, a participant at the ceremony.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar television said the movement deployed 25,000 members for crowd control. A security source said 4,000 troops and security personnel were on duty.

Nasrallah's death marks the end of an era for Hezbollah that grew from a rag-tag group of guerrilla fighters in 1982 to a regional force whose influence spanned across the region.

He was elected leader of the group in 1992 as a 32-year-old cleric. He went on to preside over a guerrilla campaign in southern Lebanon that ultimately drove Israeli forces out of the country in 2000, ending a 22-year occupation. In 2006, he led Hezbollah in an all-out war against Israel, which foiled Israel's stated goal of dismantling the group.

After his death last September, Nasrallah was buried temporarily next to his son, Hadi, who died fighting for Hezbollah in 1997. His official funeral was delayed to allow time for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon under the terms of a ceasefire which ended year long war n Gaza and Lebanon.