Hezbollah chief Nasrallah buried in a secret location to hide his corpse from Israel
Aftermath of Israeli army's airstrike on Beirut leaving Hezbollah's Secretary-General Nasrallah dead, Beirut, September 29, 2024 (AA Photo)
A large funeral planned after the killing of Hezbollah’s chief Hasan Nasrallah was cancelled due to fear of Israeli air attacks that can target large crowds and Hasan Nasrallah’s corpse.
A source close to Hezbollah said Friday that the Lebanese militant group’s slain chief Hassan Nasrallah has been temporarily buried in a secret location for fear Israel would target a large funeral.
“Hassan Nasrallah has been temporarily buried, until the circumstances allow for a public funeral,” the source said, after an Israeli strike killed the leader last week.
The source said a public funeral had been impossible to hold “for fear of Israeli threats they would target mourners and the place of his burial”.
Shiite Muslim rites provide for such a temporary burial when circumstances prevent a proper funeral or the deceased cannot be buried where they wished.
A Lebanese official who spoke on condition of anonymity said Hezbollah had, through top Lebanese officials, sought but failed to obtain “guarantees” from the United States, a key ally of Israel, that Israel would not target a public funeral.
Hezbollah likely new leader targeted by Israel
Amid intensifying Israeli bombardment of Hezbollah, a massive strike on its south Beirut stronghold on September 27 killed Nasrallah alongside an Iranian Revolutionary Guards general.
His cousin Hashem Safieddine, a prominent Hezbollah figure touted as a possible successor, was the target of a recent Israeli air strike on south Beirut, US and Israeli media reported.
