Beirut gears up for masses at Nasrallah funeral, allows Tehran flight to land
Beirut is gearing up for the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah later today, with throngs expected to pack the city to send off the terror chief killed by an Israeli bomb in late September.
Since Saturday, roads into Beirut have been clogged with carloads of Hezbollah supporters travelling in from the movement’s strongholds in south Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley.
The funeral for Nasrallah, and his successor Hashem Safieddine, killed by Israel in early October, is set to take place at Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium on the outskirts of the capital, where giant posters of the two have been hung.
The stadium has a capacity of around 50,000 but Hezbollah organizers have installed thousands of extra seats on the pitch and many more outside, where mourners will be able to follow the ceremony on a giant screen.
The funeral is due to start at 1:00 p.m. and will include a speech by current leader Naim Qassem.
Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television says the group is deploying 25,000 stewards for crowd control and 4,000 more to supervise the event.
Banners depicting slain leader of the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah (C), his deputy Hashem Safieddine (C-L) and other slain Hezbollah commanders are displayed on Beirut Airport Road, in Beirut on February 19, 2025. (Anwar Amro/AFP)
A security source says 4,000 troops and security personnel will also be deployed to the area.
Hezbollah, a terror group which is also a major player in Lebanese politics, has invited top Lebanese officials including President Joseph Aoun to attend.
Its longtime backer Iran is to be represented by the speaker of parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iranian media reported.
Representatives of Iraq’s main pro-Iran factions are also expected to attend and additional flights have been scheduled between Baghdad and Beirut.
A single flight from Tehran was also given permission to land before dawn on Sunday, though service from Iran has been suspended over the threat of Israeli strikes on attempts to smuggle weapons or other goods to Hezbollah.
“It is only one flight, carrying official delegations from Tehran to participate in the funeral,” airport chief Fadi al-Hassan tells AFP.
Civil aviation authorities say Beirut airport will close exceptionally from midday until 4:00 pm.
The US embassy has urged Americans to avoid the area.
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