Iran's Khamenei vows ‘continued resistance’ against Israel as thousands join Hassan Nasrallah's funeral
Tens of thousands of mourners dressed in black vowed support for Hezbollah at the funeral of Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday vowed to continue "resistance" against Israel, on the day of the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
In a statement published on his official website as the funeral got underway in Beirut, Khamenei said that the resistance would continue ‘till the desired goal is achieved'.
"The enemy should know that resistance against usurpation, oppression, and arrogance is not over and will continue until the desired goal is achieved," the statement read, in an apparent reference to Israel.
Tens of thousands of mourners dressed in black vowed support for Hezbollah at the funeral of Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine, his chosen successor who was killed in another Israeli strike before he could take the post, amid the group dealing with major blows in its last round of hostilities with Israel.
The funeral ceremony for Nasrallah and Safieddine began at 1:00 pm local time at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium on the outskirts of Beirut.
Women wailed as a black truck carrying the coffins of Nasrallah and Safiendine slowly moved through the crowd, topped with two black turbans and draped in Hezbollah's yellow flag.
Excerpts of Nasrallah's speeches were blasted in the stadium with tens of thousands of supporters raising their fists in the air and chanting "We are at your service Nasrallah" and "We are loyal to the promise Nasrallah," AFP reported.
Israel reportedly flies jets at low altitude during Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral
Lebanese state media reported Israeli planes flying at low altitudes over Beirut during the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday.
"The hostile warplanes flew at low altitude over the skies of Beirut and its suburbs," a report from the country's National News Agency said.
The Israeli army in a tweet ahead of the start of the funeral said: "The world is a better place".
The September killing of the charismatic leader, who led the Lebanese movement for more than three decades, in a massive Israeli strike dealt a heavy blow to the Iran-backed group's reputation as a fighting force.
But Hezbollah, which also played a major role in the country's politics for decades, has long had a support base in the country's majority Shiite Muslim community.
