Nasrallah is dead, but according to his followers the fight against Israel is alive and kicking

“We don’t bend for America, not for Israel, only for you, Nasrallah!” During a day full of speeches, songs and sermons, about one hundred thousand people proved the last honor to Hassan Nasrallah killed by Israel last year, the former leader of Lebanon’s largest armed group of Hezbollah.

In buses, cars, on foot and even on horseback, tens of thousands of Lebanese – especially from the supporters of Hezbollah – came from all over the country, from early morning hours, to a large sports stadium in the southern neighborhoods of Beirut. The mass turns in black, yellow and green, the colors of Hezbollah, and people wear flags and portraits of the man and religious leader who led the group for 32 years.

The 64-year-old Nasrallah died on 27 September with a large Israeli bombing in Zuid-Beirut, in which dozens of missiles hit a building that served as a command center of Hezbollah. In addition to Nasrallah, other Hezbollah officials and a representative of the Iranian revolutionary guard also lost their lives.

Hashem Safieddine, who was mentioned as Nasrallah’s successor in Zuid-Beirut, was also killed by Israel a week later. He was also buried on Sunday.

Ash

In recent days, thousands of followers from all over the world flew to Beirut to attend the funeral. It not only concerned the Lebanese supporters of Hezbollah, but also groups from countries connected to the so -called ‘axis of resistance’, such as Iran, the Houthis in Yemen and groups from Iraq supported by Iran. According to Lebanese media, for example, families of former Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi were present, as well as those of Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian revolutionary guard who was killed in an American bombing in 2020. Even well-known social media figures were invited. The American influencer Jackson Hinkle, who is pronounced pro-Russia and anti-Israel, actually showed up.

Dozens of religious leaders and politicians from Lebanon also attended the ceremony, including former president and ally of the Syrian Assad regime Émile Lahoud.

The Iraqi Ahmad name traveled two days ago with his parents from Iraq to attend the event. “This is a historic day for everyone and for all countries. Nasrallah represented anyone who is wronged who is on the right path. ” The day that Nasrallah was killed, he remembers as a “painful, black day.”

However, the absence of President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, who took over earlier this month, both no allies from Hezbollah, also marks the new political wind that recently started blowing here. Hezbollah has sustained military and financially large blows during the war with Israel in the past year. This also expresses itself in a loss of political influence, although the group itself will never admit it. Many Lebanese turn away from the group and see Hezbollah as one of the main causes of the many problems in the country, including the conflict with Israel. This part of Lebanon hopes for a definitive end of the great Iranian influence, through Hezbollah, in national politics.

Frequent speeches

Nevertheless, the death of Nasrallah came for both friend and enemy and a shock, in Lebanon and beyond. With his much -watched speeches on television, he even managed to touch many Lebanese who were not outspoken supporters of his group. For his followers it was one of the blackest days in their lives. “Nasrallah was like a father for us,” says Ali, a young boy outside the stadium with a flag and photos in his hands. “I was able to meet him twice, and those were such happy moments. That’s pretty much everyone’s dream. “

Many visitors are visibly emotional. When the two boxes are slowly driven around the stadium, hordes of people from the adjacent courses to the fences, hoping to catch a very last glimpse of their killed leaders. For some, this is the only proof that convinces them of Nasrallah’s death.

All given

“After all these years we will never get anyone like Nasrallah again,” says Rania Ramal, a Lebanese who lives in Switzerland. “He made Hezbollah what it is today. He has given everything for the party. We will continue to persist, and will never accept the Israeli occupation. ”

The opposition to the Israeli occupation of Palestine and South Libanon, and to the American imperialism, want to say many people present, is still alive and kicking despite Nasrallah’s death. A message that the new Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem was also happy to emphasize in his speech, who, like other speakers, regularly leaves room for slogans such as ‘Death to Israel, Death to America’ or ‘We are at your service, Nasrallah’ .

The stadium suddenly stops during one of the speeches. A few people scream, five Israeli fighter jets fly very low over the stadium. The crowd recovers and shouts. The speaker shouts: “Allah is big! Your missiles are not shocked, the sound of your aircraft nor. ” The Israeli Minister of Defense Yisrael Katz said later that afternoon that a ‘clear signal’ was issued with the aircraft. “Anyone who threatens Israel with destruction and attacks will have to undergo his destiny.”

To share





Mail the editors