Hezbollah supporters gathered in the southern suburbs of Beirut for the funerals of Hassan Nasrallah and Hachem Safieddine on Feb. 23, 2025. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/OLJ)
Hundreds of thousands gathered on Sunday for the funerals of Hassan Nasrallah, the charismatic secretary-general of Hezbollah, assassinated last September by Israel, and his successor, Hachem Safieddine, killed a few days later. The ceremony, held at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium in Ghobeiri district, was an opportunity for the party, weakened by the war against Israel and recent developments in Lebanon and the region, to demonstrate the size and loyalty of its popular base. But despite the impressive crowd — often in tears — and the organizational capability demonstrated, Hezbollah did not completely achieve its goal.There are no precise estimates yet on the number of attendees at the ceremony. While some sources mention more than 230,000 participants, some Hezbollah affiliates brandish the figure of 900,000 people, inside the...
Hundreds of thousands gathered on Sunday for the funerals of Hassan Nasrallah, the charismatic secretary-general of Hezbollah, assassinated last September by Israel, and his successor, Hachem Safieddine, killed a few days later. The ceremony, held at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium in Ghobeiri district, was an opportunity for the party, weakened by the war against Israel and recent developments in Lebanon and the region, to demonstrate the size and loyalty of its popular base. But despite the impressive crowd — often in tears — and the organizational capability demonstrated, Hezbollah did not completely achieve its goal.There are no precise estimates yet on the number of attendees at the ceremony. While some sources mention more than 230,000 participants, some Hezbollah affiliates brandish the figure of 900,000 people, inside...