Ten of thousands attend funeral for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah

BEIRUT: Tens of thousands of mourners on Sunday dressed in black vowed support for Hezbollah at the Beirut funeral of slain leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli attack in the southern suburbs of the capital, Beirut, last September.

The public funeral, delayed for security reasons, began at 1pm local time (11:00 GMT) on Sunday at Beirut’s Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, which has a capacity of about 50,000 people.

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.

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”.

People gather to attend funeral ceremony of Hezbollah leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine, both killed by Israel last year, on the outskirts of Beirut, Lebanon [Ali Allouch/Reuters]

In a televised speech, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said the group would keep following the path of Nasrallah.

“We will uphold trust and walk on this path, we will uphold your will,” Qassem said referring to Nasrallah, adding: “You are still with us: your… path and struggle live within us” and “I am loyal to the legacy Nasrallah”.

Nasrallah, the face of Hezbollah for more than three decades, and Safieddine had temporarily been buried in secret locations over fears their funerals could be targeted by Israeli forces.