Hezbollah prepares for funeral of late leader Nasrallah amid tight security

Hezbollah is preparing for a mass funeral on Sunday for its late Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah and senior leader Hashem Safieddine in Beirut's Camille Chamoun Sports City.

The official National News Agency said the funeral procession is set to begin at 1 p.m. (1100GMT), moving toward Sacred Shrine street.

Nasrallah was assassinated by Israel on Sept. 27, 2024 in a series of airstrikes in Beirut's southern suburbs. Safieddine, meanwhile, was targeted on Oct. 3.

The two were temporarily buried in secret locations, and plan for their official funerals was announced earlier this month.

Security forces have raised alert levels, with the Lebanese army taking control of routes leading to the venue. Large crowds have been arriving from across the country since Saturday night.

Among the likely attendees are parliament speaker Nabih Berri and representatives of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is also expected.

A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Lebanon since Nov. 27, ending months of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah that escalated into a full-scale conflict in September.

Under the ceasefire deal, Israel was supposed to fully withdraw from southern Lebanon by Jan. 26, but the deadline was extended to Feb. 18 after Israel refused to comply.

The Israeli army withdrew from southern Lebanese towns on Tuesday, but maintained a military presence at five border outposts.