The funeral for Hezbollah’s slain leader Hassan Nasrallah will take place on February 23 as confirmed by the group’s current chief Naim Qassem during a televised speech on Sunday.
The announcement comes several months after Nasrallah’s death in a devastating Israeli airstrike on September 27, which marked a significant escalation in the ongoing hostilities between Israel and the Iran-backed group.
Nasrallah, a figure synonymous with Hezbollah's rise to prominence, was killed in a massive attack on Beirut's southern suburbs, an area long seen as a stronghold of the group.
Qassem addressed the delay in organizing the funeral, stating that security concerns during the height of the war, which concluded on November 27, had prevented the group from holding the ceremony sooner.
"After security conditions prevented holding a funeral during the two months of all-out war, we have now decided to hold a grand public funeral on February 23," he said. The event is expected to be a large procession befitting the late leader’s stature.
In addition to Nasrallah’s funeral, Hezbollah will also hold the funeral of his successor, Hashem Safieddine, who was selected to lead the group before his own death in an Israeli raid on October 3. Qassem confirmed that Safieddine, the deeply religious cleric with ties to Nasrallah, had been chosen to lead Hezbollah but was tragically martyred before the official announcement could be made. Safieddine’s funeral will take place in his hometown of Deir Qanun, located in southern Lebanon.
Nasrallah will be buried on the outskirts of Beirut in a location between the old and new airport roads, while Safieddine’s final resting place will be in Deir Qanun, Qassem revealed. Initially, Nasrallah had been temporarily buried at a secret location for fear that Israel would target a large funeral.
The funeral events occur amidst ongoing tensions between Hezbollah and Israel. Following the November ceasefire, Israel has failed to meet the January 26 deadline for withdrawal from southern Lebanon, launching further strikes in the region. The Israeli army has until February 18 to complete its withdrawal, but there have been no indications that Israel intends to comply fully with the terms of the agreement, citing Lebanon’s failure to uphold its side of the deal.
Qassem reiterated Hezbollah’s call for the Lebanese government to take action against Israeli violations. "The Lebanese state is fully responsible for following up, pressuring, and preventing as much as it can through international pressure and sponsorship of this violation and Israeli aggression," he urged.
The ceasefire, signed on November 27, stipulated that Hezbollah would pull its forces back north of the Litani River, located around 30 kilometers from the border, and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south. Meanwhile, the Lebanese army was tasked with deploying in southern Lebanon to ensure stability in the area.
