Hezbollah is set to hold a massive funeral procession Sunday for its historic leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and its former Secretary General, Sayyed Hashem Safieddine. The ceremony is expected to draw a significant crowd, both from Lebanon and abroad, with high-level political and religious figures in attendance.

Since before the crack of dawn, the streets of the Lebanese capital have been flooded with mourners arriving from all regions. By 6:00 AM local time, Beirut’s Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium was already filled with participants, some of whom spent the night outdoors to secure a place at the ceremony.

The funeral procession is scheduled to begin at 1:00 PM local time (11:00 GMT) at the stadium, where the coffins of the two leaders will arrive in a specially designed vehicle. Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem is expected to deliver a speech before the procession moves toward Sayyed Nasrallah’s final resting place on the outskirts of Beirut’s Southern Suburb.

Giant portraits of Sayyed Nasrallah and Sayyed Safieddine have been hung on the exterior walls of the stadium and along the roads leading to the funeral site. Thousands of additional seats have been arranged inside the venue to accommodate the massive turnout.

The organizing committee has confirmed the participation of official delegations from Lebanon and abroad, with representatives from 79 countries attending in both official and popular capacities. High-ranking figures from Iran, Iraq, and other nations are also present.

Processions, both on foot and in vehicles, have also emerged in Beirut’s Southern Suburb as Lebanon and the wider Arab and Islamic world bid farewell to two leaders who played a crucial role in the resistance movement, particularly in support of the Palestinian cause.

A behemoth procession

The funeral is taking place under heightened security measures implemented by Hezbollah and Lebanese security agencies. The stadium’s seating capacity exceeds 50,000, but tens of thousands more are expected to gather in the surrounding streets to join the funeral march. By 7:00 AM, just an hour after the gates opened, all designated spaces inside the stadium were already occupied.

According to event organizers, the stadium will accommodate over 23,000 seats on the field and 55,000 more in the stands. In the surrounding areas, 35,000 seats have been allocated for men and 25,000 in a separate section for women.

Large screens have been installed along the procession route, while dozens of tents to accommodate visitors and participants have been set up along the streets leading to the funeral site.

To ensure the safety of attendees, the Islamic Health Society has deployed 1,500 medical volunteers, including paramedics, doctors, and nurses, across 60 medical tents. Additionally, 100 ambulances have been stationed along the funeral route.

For days, preparations have been underway to accommodate the massive crowds expected to attend the funeral, with Beirut’s Sports City Stadium set to host both official delegations and the large numbers of mourners. 

Air travel to Beirut has surged, with over 50 flights landing at the Beirut International Airport within a window of twelve hours on Saturday, primarily from Iraq and Turkey. Meanwhile, Lebanese families have opened their homes to foreign visitors, and hotel occupancy in Beirut has reportedly exceeded 90%.