Hezbollah chief vows 'resistance' as masses mourn Nasrallah

Hezbollah chief vows 'resistance' as masses mourn Nasrallah

A mourner carries the portraits of Hezbollah's slain leader Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine during their funeral

Hezbollah's leader said "resistance" was not over as hundreds of thousands mourned slain chief Hassan Nasrallah Sunday at a Beirut funeral, demonstrating continued support for the group after a devastating war with Israel.

During the funeral, women wailed as a truck carrying the coffins of Nasrallah and his chosen successor Hashem Safieddine -- both killed in Israeli strikes -- slowly moved through the crowd, topped with two black turbans and draped in Hezbollah's yellow flag.

A procession headed towards Nasrallah's burial site near the airport, where a stampede erupted. A live broadcast by Al-Manar TV showed Hezbollah members in military uniform pushing crowds away from the coffin after it was unloaded from the truck.

Safieddine will be interred in his southern hometown of Deir Qanun al-Nahr on Monday.

The massive Israeli strike in September that killed Nasrallah, a charismatic leader who led Hezbollah for more than three decades, dealt a heavy blow to the Iran-backed group.

But Hezbollah, which dominated Lebanon's politics for decades, has long had a support base in the country's Shiite Muslim community.

As the funeral began at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Israeli warplanes flew at a low altitude over Beirut in what Defence Minister Israel Katz said was a "clear message" to anyone who threatens Israel.

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."

Two Hezbollah sources told AFP that the estimated number of participants  is "around 800,000" people.

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," she added.

AFP correspondents said the stadium, which can accommodate roughly 78,000 people according to organisers, was fully packed.

- 'A great mujahid' -

As crowds gathered, the official National News Agency reported Israeli strikes in Lebanon's south and east, which Israel's military said targeted "sites containing rocket launchers and weapons".

Israel has carried out multiple strikes in Lebanon since a November 27 ceasefire deal with Hezbollah ended more than a year of hostilities including two months of all-out war.

The funeral comes days after the deadline for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon's south, with Israeli troops pulling out from all but five locations. Both sides have accused each other of violating the truce.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam delegated officials to attend the ceremony on their behalf.

Speaking to Iran's delegation ahead of the funeral, Aoun said: "Lebanon has grown tired of the wars of others on its land."

Hezbollah's weakening in the war has contributed to the election of Aoun, seen as a favourite among Western governments, after a two-year power vacuum. He named Salam as his premier last month.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed "resistance" against Israel as Hezbollah held the funeral.

He praised Nasrallah as "a great mujahid (fighter) and prominent leader" and Safieddine as "a close confidant and an inseparable part of the leadership".

Iranian parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf, among the foreign dignitaries attending the funeral, said later that it "marked a turning point, showing the greatness of the resistance front and the resistance of the Lebanese people".

Representatives from pro-Iran factions in Iraq and other regional allies were also in attendance at the funeral.

Sam Heller of the Century Foundation think-tank said it was important for Hezbollah "to demonstrate that it remains a major social and political force, despite some of the setbacks it's been dealt".

- 'Dearest to our souls' -

Since Saturday, roads into Beirut have been clogged with carloads of supporters travelling in from Hezbollah's other power centres in south and east Lebanon.

Khouloud Hamieh, 36, came from the east to mourn the leader who she said was "dearest to our souls".

Hezbollah's Al-Manar television said the movement deployed 25,000 members for crowd control. A security source said 4,000 troops and security personnel were on duty.

Civil aviation authorities said Beirut airport would close exceptionally for four hours.

A founding member of Hezbollah in 1982, Nasrallah won renown around the Arab world in May 2000 when Israel ended its 22-year occupation of south Lebanon following relentless attacks by the group under his leadership.

In the decades since, Lebanese have been divided over Hezbollah, with many criticising the group for initiating more recent hostilities with Israel in support of Palestinian militant group Hamas.

lk-aya/ami/jsa

Originally published as Hezbollah chief vows 'resistance' as masses mourn Nasrallah