Hezbollah chief says slain predecessor Nasrallah to be buried on Feb 23
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Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed on Sept 27, 2024, had served as Hezbollah’s secretary-general for more than 30 years.
PHOTO: AFP
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BEIRUT – The head of Lebanon’s armed group Hezbollah said on Feb 2 that his predecessor Hassan Nasrallah would be laid to rest on Feb 23, nearly five months after he was killed in an Israeli air attack
Nasrallah, who had served as Hezbollah’s secretary-general for more than 30 years, was killed on Sept 27, 2024, as Israel ramped up its air attacks on Hezbollah targets and just days before Israeli troops began ground incursions into southern Lebanon.
His successor Naim Qassem
Mr Qassem said the group had now decided to hold “a grand funeral procession with a large public presence” for both Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine
He confirmed on Feb 2 for the first time that Safieddine had been elected as Nasrallah’s successor but was killed before the announcement was made. He said Safieddine would also be buried with the title of secretary-general.
The killings of both Nasrallah and Safieddine – as well as many of the group’s top military commanders – threw Hezbollah into disarray. Hezbollah announced on Oct 29 that Mr Qassem, the group’s deputy leader, had been elected as its head.
A ceasefire agreed in late November ended hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel and set a 60-day deadline for Israeli troops to withdraw from southern Lebanon, Hezbollah to remove its fighters and arms from the area and Lebanese troops to deploy there.
That deadline was extended last month until Feb 18. Israel has continued to carry out some airstrikes on parts of Lebanon, accusing Hezbollah of violating the terms of the ceasefire.
Hezbollah says Israel is responsible for the breaches and says the Lebanese state and the deal’s foreign sponsors – the United States and France – should prevent Israel’s violations. But it has not threatened to resume fighting. REUTERS
