Tens of thousands of mourners dressed in black vowed support for Hezbollah at the Beirut funeral of slain leader Hassan Nasrallah Sunday, after the group was dealt major blows in its last round of hostilities with Israel.
A black truck carrying the coffins of Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine - Nasrallah's chosen successor killed in another Israeli air strike before he could assume the post - slowly moved through the crowd, topped with two black turbans and draped in Hezbollah's yellow flag.
The September killing of Nasrallah, 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 Shia Muslim community.
The funeral ceremony for Nasrallah and Safieddine took place at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium on the outskirts of Beirut.
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".
Many men, women and children from Lebanon and beyond walked on foot in the biting cold to reach the site of the ceremony, that was delayed for months over security concerns.
Women in long black robes and men carrying portraits of Nasrallah burst into tears as excerpts of his speeches were broadcast on a screen.
AFP correspondents at the stadium said the venue, which organisers said could accommodate roughly 78,000 people, was fully packed.
As the crowds gathered, Lebanese state media reported Israeli strikes in Lebanon's south, including a location about 20km from the border, with Israel's military saying it had struck "rocket launchers".
The Israeli army in a tweet ahead of the start of the funeral said "the world is a better place".
Defence Minister Israel Katz said Israeli Air Force jets flying over the funeral were sending a "clear message" to anyone threatening Israel.
"Israeli Air Force planes currently flying over Beirut during the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah are sending a clear message: Anyone who threatens to destroy Israel and attacks Israel - this will be their end," Mr Katz said in a statement.
Israel has carried out multiple strikes in Lebanon since a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah went into effect on 27 November, ending more than a year of hostilities including two months of all-out war.
The funeral comes days after the deadline for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon's south, with Israeli troops pulling out from all but five locations. Both sides have accused each other of violating the truce.
President Joseph Aoun asked Hezbollah ally Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to represent him at the ceremony, while Prime Minister Nawaf Salam was to be represented by Labour Minister Mohammed Haidar.
Hezbollah's weakening in the war was widely seen as having contributed to the election of Mr Aoun, who named Mr Salam as his premier last month after two years of leadership vacuum.
Iranian speaker of parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were in attendance, with representatives of Iraq's main pro-Iran factions also expected to come.
Mr Araghchi, in a speech from Beirut, described the slain leaders as "two heroes of the resistance" and vowed that "the path of resistance will continue".
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Sam Heller of the Century Foundation think tank told AFP that it was "important for the group to demonstrate that it remains a major social and political force, despite some of the setbacks it's been dealt".
Since yesterday, roads into Beirut have been clogged with carloads of supporters travelling in from Hezbollah's other power centres in south and east Lebanon.
A procession will follow the funeral ceremony to the site near the airport highway where Nasrallah will be buried. Safieddine will be interred in his southern hometown of Deir Qanun al-Nahr tomorrow.
Hezbollah's Al-Manar television said the movement was deploying 25,000 members for crowd control. A security source said 4,000 troops and security personnel would also be deployed.
A founding member of Hezbollah in 1982, Nasrallah won renown around the Arab world in May 2000 when Israel ended its 22-year occupation of south Lebanon under relentless attack by the group under his leadership.
In the decades since, views about Hezbollah in Lebanon have become increasingly polarised, with many criticising the group for initiating hostilities with Israel in support of Palestinian militant group Hamas.
