Iranian government delegates head to Lebanon to attend resistance leader Nasrallah’s funeral

TEHRAN (Iran News)  Delegates from the highest ranks of the Iranian government as well as private citizens have headed to Lebanon to participate in the funeral for Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashim Safieddine, the leaders of the Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah who were assassinated by the Israeli regime.

Among the delegates was Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf who departed for Beirut early on Sunday to attend the funeral ceremony later in the day.

Speaking to reporters before his departure, Qalibaf said that a delegation comprised of members of the office of the Leader of Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, as well as representatives from President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration, the Judiciary, and Parliament will attend the funeral for Nasrallah and Safieddine.

Families of Iranian martyrs, top and cultural figures will participate in the event as well, Qalibaf added, who described the funeral as a turning point in the grandeur of the Resistance Front, the Islamic world and the Lebanese people.

During his lifetime, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was a source of pride and dignity for the Islamic world, the top Iranian parliamentarian said, adding that Nasrallah was widely recognized as a symbol of fighting against Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.

Despite suffering great losses due to the martyrdom of its resistance leaders, Lebanon remains proud as it has restored security to its territory following the months-long Israeli aggression, Qalibaf further said.

‘Opportunity to strengthen bilateral ties’

The speaker also told reporters that his trip to Beirut will serve as an opportunity to further enhance relations with Lebanon, as he plans to meet with top officials there.

Lebanon’s resistance leaders

Nasrallah, the long-time secretary general of Hezbollah, was assassinated by the Israeli regime on September 27 last year. The 64-year-old resistance leader lost his life in a massive airstrike that hit Hezbollah’s stronghold in Dahieh, a southern neighborhood of Lebanon’s capital, Beirut.

The attack, which was part of a large-scale Israeli offensive against Hezbollah positions, was carried out using U.S.-supplied bunker-buster bombs that destroyed several buildings and killed a number of Hezbollah commanders as well.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered the assassination of the Hezbollah leader from the UN headquarters in New York.

Safieddine, Nasrallah’s deputy and former head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council, was killed in October during an Israeli airstrike on Beirut. He had been appointed to replace Nasrallah before he was assassinated.