Thousands fly to Lebanon for funeral of Hassan Nasrallah

Beirut: Nearly five months after Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated by Israel, hundreds of thousands of supporters of Hezbollah's slain leader have flown into Beirut for his funeral on Sunday.

Sayyed Nasrallah was killed on Sept. 27 when Israel's air force dropped more than 80 bombs on Hezbollah's main operations room in southern Beirut. It was the biggest and most consequential of Israel's targeted killings in years.

Stream of visitors arriving in the Lebanese capital for the funeral of the assassinated leader, which is set for Sunday at 1:00 PM local time, include journalists, anti-imperialist activists and social media influencers from around the world.

Beirut's airport and streets are seeing a steady stream of people, many waving Hezbollah flags and carrying portraits of Nasrallah as they gather to honour him.

Nasrallah, idolised by his supporters held the title of sayyid, an honorific meant to signify his lineage to the Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh).

Over the three decades run as Hezbollah supremo Nasrallah became a symbol of defiance, and his legacy is honorued by his supporters from across Arab and Islamic world.

Hezbollah suffered significant losses in the latest war with Israel, which it fought to ease pressure on embattled Gaza. The group  lost several of its most senior military and political figures during the period.

Nasrallah's successor Hashem Safieddine was also assassinated by Israel a few days after him. The two had temporarily been buried in secret locations. Hezbollah earlier this month announced plans for their official funerals. 

On the eve of the funeral, Sheikh Ali Daamouch, Deputy Executive Council Chairman of Hezbollah, emphasised that "tomorrow is a day of loyalty, allegiance, and commitment to the martyrs, and our presence at their funeral is a form of tribute to them."

He urged people to turn out in force from every home, village, and city, "to tell friends and foes that our Resistance endures and remains present on the battlefield and that the Zionist enemy will never be able to crush it."

Sheikh affirmed that, despite the painful loss, the Resistance remains steadfast in its course, unwavering in its defence of the homeland, its people, the Ummah, and its sanctities, and "will not retreat from its objectives."

The funeral is to begin at 1 p.m. at a sports stadium in Beirut's southern suburbs. It will include a speech by current Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem and is to be followed by a procession to Nasrallah's burial site on the outskirts of Beirut.

Hezbollah has said 79 countries would be involved in the commemoration, whether at an official or "popular" level. Airlines have increased flights to Beirut to deal with demand.

Flights from Iraq, where Hezbollah has a huge following, have been full for days on end. According to an Iraqi transportation ministry official thousands of people have flown to Beirut over the past days.

Among those who arrived from overseas was also American commentator Jackson Hinkle.

"I am honored to be attending the funeral," Hinkle posted on the social media platform X after arriving this week in Beirut.

Hinkle posted a photo of himself visiting a war-wrecked Lebanese border village, waving a Hezbollah flag.

Sharing her experience, Tara Reynor O'Grady, President of No Peace Without Justice wrote on X: "In Lebanon this week to document the destruction, and to lend solidarity to the people." 

Brazilian journalist and geopolitical analyst, Pepe Escobar, shared an image showing three buildings in Beirut, each adorned with a portrait of Nasrallah.

He captioned the photo, "Southern Beirut. Nasrallah Row."

Meanwhile, X user Ali posted an image of Mandla Mandela, the grandson Nelson Mandela, wearing a kefiyeh in Lebanon.

Ali wrote, "Nelson Mandela's grandson in Lebanon to attend the funeral of the martyr leader of the resistance."

Members of 'Axis of Resistance' in the region were also traveling to Beirut to attend Nasrallah's funeral.

Kazim Al-Fartousi, spokesman for Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada group in Iraq, arrived on Friday. He said Nasrallah was "the father, commander and the book that we read every day to learn about freedom."