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Hundreds of thousands gathered in and around the Camille Chamoun sport arena in Beirut for the funeral of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and his successor Hashem Safieddine who were both killed by the IDF five months ago during the war.
The crowd chanted "Death to America, and death to Israel" as the coffins of the two leaders were brought into the stadium while scriptures from the Quran were read and the Hezbollah anthem was played over the loud speakers and projected on large screens to the crowds outside. A message from Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei was delivered by a Muslim cleric, vowing that the "conflict against the arrogance" will not end.
At the same time four Israeli Air Force fighter jets flew above the city as Hezbollah attempted to demonstrate its greatest show of force since the cease-fire came into effect last November.
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'Death to Israel' during Nasrallha funeral
The IDF confirmed that it had conducted strikes against Hezbollah targets in South Lebanon and in the Beqaa Valley in the east after violations by the Iran-backed terror group, of the cease-fire agreement.
"The IDF struck military sites containing rocket launchers and weapons where Hezbollah activity was identified in the area of Baalbek and several additional areas in southern Lebanon," the military said in a statement. These activities of the Hezbollah terrorist organization are in violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and constitute a threat to the State of Israel and its civilians."
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Israeli jets fly over Beirut during Nasrallah's funeral
(Photo:Ali Allouch / Reuters)
Defense Minister Israel Katz confirmed the flyover was an Israeli show of force. "Israeli Air Force planes in the sky over Beirut while the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah was underway deliver a clear message: anyone who threatens Israel with destruction of attacks Israel will meet this end," he said. "You practice funerals and we practice victories."
Hezbollah's current leader Naim Qassem did not attend the funeral himself, likely out of security cocerns, but spoke in a video address to the crowd vowing to continue Nasrallah's policy and path . He said the Lebanese government was responsible to oppose Israeli violations of the cease-fire. "We agreed to a truce because we are not interested in fighting a war without a political or territorial end. We complied with the terms, but Israel has not."
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The funeral which was described as the biggest seen in Lebanon in two decades, was reported to include hundreds of thousands of participants. Representatives of countries, mostly those affiliated with Iran's Shi'ite axis arrived to attend. Among them were Iran's Speaker of Parliament arliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi who arrived on a direct flight from Tehran on Sunday.
They met with Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun who said in the meeting that Lebanon was tired of others' wars. “The unity of the Lebanese people is the best way to deal with any loss or aggression. Lebanon has paid too heavy a price for the Palestinian cause,” Aoun said. “We support the outcomes of the recent Riyadh summit regarding a two-state solution.”