Nasrallah's funeral precessions start in Beirut
Shafaq News/ The funeral procession for former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and his successor, Hashem Safieddin, began on Sunday in Beirut, drawing a massive crowd of both political and public figures.
The ceremonies commenced at the "Kamil Shammoun" sports complex, which served as the starting point for the procession, with participants gathering there before making their way through the streets of Beirut. The city witnessed an overwhelming influx of mourners, with streets packed for miles.
Giant screens were set up along the streets surrounding the sports complex, and over 70 reception areas were organized along the route leading to the funeral site. The venue, the largest sports complex in Lebanon, can accommodate more than 50,000 people, although organizers estimated that tens of thousands of mourners filled the surrounding streets to take part in the procession.
The sports complex itself was arranged to hold over 23,000 seats inside the stadium, with an additional 55,000 seats in the stands. The outside areas were also prepared with 35,000 seats for men and 25,000 seats in a dedicated section for women.
The funeral was attended by official delegations from several countries, including Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf. Beirut’s airport also saw the arrival of families of prominent Iranian figures, such as former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, former Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, and former Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani, as well as Iranian Presidential Advisor Mohsen Rezaei and other officials.
A large Iraqi delegation, consisting of political, religious, and media figures, also arrived in Beirut to participate in the funeral.
Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on September 27 while meeting with Hezbollah leaders in a hideout in southern Beirut. He will be buried in a specially designated area near where he was temporarily laid to rest next to his son, Hadi Nasrallah, who was killed while fighting for Hezbollah in 1997.
