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(Bloomberg) -- Hundreds of thousands of mourners attended the funerals of Hezbollah’s longtime chief Hassan Nasrallah and his heir Hashem Safieddine on Sunday, even as Israel intensified airstrikes on Lebanon, the most intense wave of attacks since November’s ceasefire.
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The assassination of the two leaders in Beirut in September was a devastating blow to Iran’s most powerful militant group, marking a pivotal moment in the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. A few days after their deaths, Israel escalated its military operations in Lebanon with a ground incursion on its northern neighbor.
On Sept. 27, the 64-year-old Nasrallah — who Israel had made clear was a target for assassination and for years avoided making public appearances — met with other Hezbollah leaders in a bunker almost 20 meters (65 feet) below ground. Israeli jets dropped around 80 bombs on the site. The headquarters and several nearby buildings were destroyed. About 30 people were killed overall.
Israel carried out multiple airstrikes on southern and eastern Lebanon on Sunday, targeting Hezbollah military sites housing rocket launchers and weapons that posed an “imminent” threat to its civilians, the Israel Defense Forces said.
Lebanese state media reported Israel struck southern Lebanon villages in the morning, as Hezbollah supporters headed toward Beirut for the funeral. Later, fighter jets flew low over the Lebanese capital as Nasrallah’s body arrived at the mourning area.
Israeli planes circling in the skies of Beirut over Nasrallah’s funeral “are sending a clear message: whoever threatens to destroy Israel and attacks Israel - that will be his end,” Israel Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a statement.
Hezbollah’s current chief, Naim Qasem, called on supporters to attend the funeral at the national football stadium in Beirut as a demonstration of the group’s strength. Iran, which sponsors Hezbollah as well as Hamas in Gaza, sent a high-level delegation, including Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, to take part.
“Know that the resistance exists and is strong,” Qasem said during the funeral, emphasizing that Hezbollah will maintain its “presence and readiness.”
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam were invited to the funeral but didn’t attend in person, with the premier assigning the labor minister as his representative. The election of US and Saudi-backed Aoun as Lebanon’s leader last month was an illustration of Hezbollah’s weaker state, ending a two-year power vacuum and pulling the country away from Iran.