Hezbollah chief vows ‘resistance’ at Nasrallah funeral

At his funeral in Beirut on Sunday, tens of thousands of people showed their continued support for Hezbollah following a terrible war with Israel, and the group’s commander declared that “resistance” was not done.

Women sobbed during the funeral as a truck, adorned with two black turbans and flying the yellow flag of Hezbollah, slowly made its way past the crowd with the coffins of Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine, Nasrallah’s designated successor who was murdered in another Israeli airstrike.

A procession headed towards the site near the airport highway where Nasrallah will be buried. Safieddine will be interred in his southern hometown of Deir Qanun al-Nahr on Monday.

The Iran-backed organization suffered a severe blow in September when the charismatic commander, who had commanded Hezbollah for over thirty years, was killed in a major Israeli strike.

However, the Shiite Muslim minority in Lebanon has traditionally been a base of support for Hezbollah, which has controlled the country’s politics for decades.

Israeli airplanes flew low over Beirut as the funeral got underway at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, sending a “clear message” to anyone who poses a threat to Israel, according to Defense Minister Israel Katz.

“You will specialise in funerals — and we in victories,” Katz said.
In a televised address at the ceremony, Nasrallah’s successor Naim Qassem said Hezbollah would keep following his “path”, and rejected any control by the “tyrant America” over Lebanon.

“The resistance is not over, the resistance is still present and ready” to face Israel, he said.

Nasrallah speeches were blasted as the mourners raised their fists in the air and chanted: “We are at your service, Nasrallah.”

Men, women and children walked in the biting cold to reach the site of the ceremony, which was delayed for months over security concerns.

“When I saw the coffin, reality dawned upon me,” said Lara, 26, adding that she had a hard time coming to terms with his killing.

“The pain is great… words cannot describe how I feel,” she added.
AFP correspondents said the stadium, which can accommodate roughly 78,000 people according to organisers, was fully packed.