WATCH: Israel releases first ever footage from Nasrallah's elimination

Thousands gathered in Beirut today for the long-delayed funeral of Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader killed by an Israeli airstrike nearly five months ago. Nasrallah led the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group for 32 years. He was eliminated in a massive bombardment on September 27, 2024, marking a seismic shift in the region’s volatile power dynamics.

The Strike That Took Him Down

Nasrallah’s death came during a ferocious Israeli campaign against Hezbollah, sparked by the group’s rocket attacks following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, assault on Israel, which killed 1,200 and took 251 hostages. On September 27, Israel’s air force unleashed over 80 bombs—including massive bunker-busters—on a residential block in Beirut’s Jamous district, targeting Hezbollah’s underground war operations room. Nasrallah was inside, meeting senior commanders and a top Iranian general stationed in Lebanon. Wafiq Safa, a senior Hezbollah security official, later confirmed Nasrallah died there, found embracing the general, likely killed by the blast’s force or suffocation.

The Lebanese Health Ministry reported six confirmed deaths, though the true toll could be in the hundreds, given the collapse of several buildings. Israel called it a precision strike years in the making, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu touting it as a blow to Iran’s regional network, tying it to the recent fall of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad.

Nasrallah, 64 at his death, took Hezbollah’s reins in 1992 after Israel assassinated his predecessor. Under his leadership, the group evolved from a guerrilla outfit into a military and political powerhouse, wielding influence in Lebanon’s government and amassing an arsenal of Iranian rockets and drones. Revered by Lebanon’s Shia community for social services and resistance against Israel—most notably in the 2006 war—Nasrallah was equally despised by foes. The U.S. and Israel branded him a terrorist, blaming him for attacks like the 1983 Beirut Marine barracks bombing, which killed 241 Americans.

His reclusive final years, spent dodging assassination, only amplified his mystique. Rarely seen in public, he delivered speeches via video, railing against Israel and the West while training fighters for groups like Hamas.

Aftermath and Funeral

The September strike didn’t stop with Nasrallah. A week later, on October 4, Israel killed his presumed successor, Hashem Safieddine, in another Beirut airstrike, leaving deputy Naim Qassem to take over by late October. Hezbollah’s missile stocks and ranks were decimated in the ensuing months, with thousands dead across Lebanon amid Israel’s broader offensive, which paralleled its Gaza campaign that left over 48,000 dead by early 2025.

Today’s funeral, delayed for security reasons, saw Nasrallah’s coffin paraded alongside Safieddine’s through Beirut’s Hezbollah-controlled south. Giant portraits adorned the city, and supporters hailed him as a “father figure” and martyr. “His blood waters our resistance,” one mourner told Reuters amid chants and tears. The event underscored Hezbollah’s resolve to project strength, even as its capabilities wane under Israeli pressure.

Strategic Fallout

Israel views Nasrallah’s elimination as a triumph, disrupting Hezbollah’s command and signaling its deep intelligence reach. Netanyahu linked it to broader victories, like Syria’s regime collapse, claiming it weakened Iran’s “axis.” But Hezbollah remains defiant.

With Qassem—a less dynamic figure—now leading, Hezbollah faces an uncertain path. The group retains support in Lebanon’s Shia heartland but grapples with a shattered infrastructure and a war-weary populace.

As Israel and Hamas navigate a fragile ceasefire in Gaza, Hezbollah’s next moves could either escalate or stabilize the region. For now, Nasrallah’s shadow looms large, his death a turning point whose full impact is still unfolding.