THIS is the moment Israel taunted Hezbollah by brazenly flying fighter jets over the funeral of terror leader Hassan Nasrallah who they killed in a strike.
The terror boss’ funeral was held in a packed out stadium in Beirut on Sunday after he was targeted in an IDF missile blitz in September which was a major blow to Hezbollah.
XIsraeli fighter jets fly over Beirut during the funeral procession of Hassan Nasrallah and his successor, Hashem Safieddine[/caption]
XThe buzz enraged mourners at the funeral who looked to the skies in shock[/caption]
XThe IDF said it sent a ‘clear message’ to those threatening the country[/caption]
APHezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike in September[/caption]
Hundreds of thousands of mourners who gathered to honour the 64-year-old erupted in shouts of fury, raising their fists to the four IDF fighter jets that buzzed the ceremony.
Footage from the ground showed the two Israeli F-15s and two F-35s flying low and slow over the crowds surrounding Nasrallah’s coffin.
The moment the jets were heard, all eyes turned to the skies in shock before rage erupted.
After the flyby, to ensure their message was heard, the IDF released photos taken from the jets as they passed over the vast crowds gathered in the city.
Not only did they buzz the procession, but the fighter jets involved were from the same squadron that bombed Hezbollah’s Central Command Bunker in the strike that took out Nasrallah and other senior commanders.
Over 80 bombs were dropped on the group’s main operations room with Israel releasing dramatic new footage of the mission from September 27, 2024, on Sunday.
The IDF said on X: “Today is Hassan Nasrallah’s funeral.
“Today the world is a better place.”
Hashem Safieddine, who was chosen to be Nasrallah’s successor, was also killed in another Israeli strike, and his coffin was part of the procession on Sunday.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz called the flypast a “clear message” to those who threaten Israel.
He said: “Conveying a clear message: Whoever threatens to destroy Israel and attacks Israel – that will be the end of him.
“You will specialise in funerals – and we will specialise in victories.”
The crowds mourned the loss of the leader, wailing and throwing flowers and other items at the coffin as it moved slowly on the back of a truck.
It was covered in Hezbollah’s yellow flag, topped with two black turbans, and surrounded by pictures and flowers as well as protective see-through screens.
Nasrallah’s speeches were blasted out over the speakers to mourners who held their arms aloft saying, “We are at your service, Nasrallah.”
AFPTens of thousands of mourners dressed in black and attended the funeral on Sunday[/caption]
XIsrael released dramatic new footage of the bomb blitz that took out the Hezbollah leader and senior commanders[/caption]
APThe four fighter jets were from the same squadron that carried out the deadly strike in September 2024[/caption]
APSeveral explosions ripped through Beirut in two successive Israeli airstrikes that ripped through Hezbollah’s command centre in September[/caption]
The procession led to where the terror boss’s coffin would be buried in Beirut.
Safieddine will be buried on Monday in his hometown of Deir Qanun al-Nahr.
Nasrallah was one of the founders of the group and took on the leading role for over 30 years.
The Hezbollah co-founder was one of the most influential people in the Middle East and helped trained Hamas fighters.
He also helped increase Hezbollah’s presence and popularity in Lebanon during his 30 years in power.
Israel’s taunts came after Senior Hezbollah official Ali Daamoush said on Saturday: “Come from every home, village and city so that we tell the enemy that this resistance will stay and is ready in the field.”
He added that around 800 officials from 65 countries would be part of the funeral.
XThe IDF said that the day of the funeral marked a moment the ‘world became a better place’[/caption]
APMourners react as the coffins passed them on a trailer[/caption]
AFPHezbollah’s leaders vowed for ‘resistance’ in the ‘face of Israel’[/caption]
In a televised speech at the ceremony, the terror group’s new leader Naim Qassem vowed that “resistance” to “face Israel” was not over despite having suffered a series of major blows.
These comments were echoed by Iran‘s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The IDF wiped out 20 terror targets in a calculated and intense airstrike, just hours before the Lebanon ceasefire was signed in November, two months after killing Nasrallah.
At the time of his death, the IDF said: “Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world.”
Israel bombed south Lebanon and the Bekaa valley moments before and during Sunday’s ceremony.
The National News Agency reported that these strikes wounded a Syrian girl as the IDF said it had struck “sites containing rocket launchers and weapons.”
Despite having signed a ceasefire deal in November, Israel continues to periodically carry out strikes with both sides claiming they have each violated the terms of the agreement.
The chilling rise of terror boss Hassan Nasrallah
By Sayan Bose, Foreign News Reporter
ISRAEL has claimed to have killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a series of massive aircraft strikes that rocked Lebanon.
If true, his death would mark a huge shift in the Middle East crisis, with Hezbollah being left incredibly weak and Iran losing its grip on its biggest terror proxy.
Here we take a look at Hassan Nasrallah’s life and his rise as the biggest terror boss in the Middle East.
Born in 1960, Nasrallah belonged to a poor Shia Muslim family who grew up in the slums of Sharshabouk in Beirut.
While growing up, he moved to south Lebanon to study theology and became a devout follower of Islam.
In 1982, Nasrallah joined Hezbollah shortly after it was formed as a political and paramilitary organisation.
Over the years, the fundamental Islamist rose through the ranks leading Hezbollah in multiple conflicts against Israel.
It was under Nasrallah’s stone-cold leadership that Hezbollah became a regional military power before being deemed an Islamic terror organisation by many countries including Britain and America.
He made Israel the prime enemy of the terror group – and sought for its destruction.
The terror chief has deeper ties with other Shia-based terror outfits like the Houthis and Hamas in a bid to wipe Israel from the world map.
Nasrallah holds the title of Sayyed, an honorific meant to signify the Shia cleric’s lineage dating back to the Prophet Muhammad.
He was regarded as an influential Islamist figure in the Middle East and had countless followers in the region.
For many years Nasrallah kept an extremely low profile and was never seen in public, fearing an assassination at the hands of the Israelis.