Israel taunts funeral for Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah with warplane flyover

Israel has made a statement in the sky as hundreds of thousands mourned slain Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah at a Beirut funeral.

Israel has made a statement in the sky as hundreds of thousands mourned slain Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah at a Beirut funeral.

Onlookers ducked for cover when a group of Israeli warplanes performed a low flyover of the proceedings.

There were angry jeers from the gigantic crowd as the intimidatory gesture played out. Some reports claim the turnout had surpassed the one million mark, as the IDF condemned Nasrallah in provocative social media posts.

“Today is Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral,” Israel’s Defence Force posted on X. “Today the world is a better place.”

Meanwhile, Hezbollah’s leader has vowed “resistance” was not over despite taking heavy losses.

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.

Mourners walk during the funeral procession with the vehicle carrying the coffins of Hezbollah's slain leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine. (Photo by IBRAHIM AMRO / AFP)

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 was a charismatic leader who led Hezbollah for more than three decades. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)

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.

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.

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. (Photo by Daniel Carde/Getty Images)

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.

Originally published as Israel taunts funeral for Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah with warplane flyover