The coffin of Hashem Safieddine, who was killed in Israeli airstrikes last year, before his burial in Deir Qanoun al-Nahr, south Lebanon, Feb. 24, 2025. (Credit: Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters)
Several thousand people took part in the burial of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hashem Safieddine in Deir Qanoun al-Nahr on Monday, the day after a popular ceremony in his honor and that of his predecessor Hassan Nasrallah in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Safieddine, who had been considered for several years as the presumed successor to Nasrallah, did not effectively lead the party, with just a few days separating the announcement of Nasrallah's death on Sept. 28, 2024, and his assassination on Oct. 3.
In Deir Qanoun al-Nahr, his coffin, draped in the party's yellow flag, was moved on a truck in a procession through the village, accompanied by Hezbollah scouts carrying portraits of Iranian and party officials, dead and alive. Hundreds of supporters followed the convoy, waving flags of Hezbollah, the Amal Movement and portraits of the two former secretaries-general and other fighters killed in Israeli strikes. The crowd also chanted slogans in honor of resistance to Israel.
The coffin was then carried by Shiite dignitaries, then by party fighters, to the sound of a funeral oration played by a brass band. Safieddine's coffin was then displayed in front of the mausoleum, in front of a large portrait of him kissing a weapon, while a video montage tracing his career within Hezbollah was shown on screens. A representative of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei read a speech on his behalf before a prayer was said in memory of the deceased. His coffin was finally carried inside the mausoleum by dozens of supporters.
In anticipation of this event, the Internal Security Forces announced the closure of traffic on two roads in the village from 10 a.m.
The popular funerals of Nasrallah and Safieddine on Sunday took place without major incident, despite the hundreds of thousands of people present in and around Beirut's Sports City.