A funeral will be held on Sunday for Hezbollah leader Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike while meeting with commanders in a shelter in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Life will come to a halt for a few hours during the ceremony in Iran.

Lebanon is preparing for the funeral of former Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike around five months ago. The funeral, which will take place at the Camille Chamoun Sports Stadium outside the capital Beirut, is expected to bring the country to a standstill for a few hours at 1:00 PM local time on Sunday. Nasrallah will then be buried at a location yet to be determined nearby. He was temporarily buried next to his son Hadi, who died while fighting for Hezbollah in 1997. The Lebanese group announced tight security measures and called on security forces to help manage the expected crowd of tens of thousands at Hezbollah strongholds nationwide and from abroad. Civil aviation officials reported that Beirut Airport would be closed as an exception, with flights suspended until 2:00 PM in the afternoon.

ISRAEL KILLED HIM IN SEPTEMBER

Nasrallah was killed on September 27 while meeting with commanders in a shelter in the southern suburbs of Beirut during an Israeli airstrike. He led the organization in decades-long conflicts with Israel, transforming it into a military force with regional influence, and became one of the most significant Arab figures for generations. The funeral will also commemorate Haşim Safiyeddin, who led Hezbollah for a week after Nasrallah’s death and was later killed by Israel. Safiyeddin will be buried in a separate location in the south on Monday. Mohanad Hage Ali from the Carnegie Middle East Center said, “The funeral is a launching pad for the next phase. A magnificent funeral that brings together hundreds of thousands of people is a way to tell everyone that Hezbollah is still here.” Israel killed thousands of Hezbollah fighters in last year’s war and caused significant destruction in the southern suburbs of Beirut and across Lebanon. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Arakji will attend the funeral, with several leaders of Iraqi Shia militias also expected to be present. An Iraqi Ministry of Transportation spokesman said Iraqi Airways has increased flights to Beirut to accommodate the high demand from Iraqis wanting to travel for the funeral.