24 hours before the funeral ceremony of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Beirut’s streets had taken on a different appearance. Lebanese and Hezbollah flags waved across various points, while massive portraits of the deceased Hezbollah leader and other Resistance martyrs adorned squares and building facades, accompanied by slogans and messages of tribute.

But on Sunday, the day of the funeral, the weight of the vast crowd overwhelmed the city. The sea of people was so dense that the flags and portraits became irrelevant. What grabbed the attention was the unprecedented number of citizens who were mourning the loss of their beloved leader five months after his passing. 

The Camille Chamoun Stadium became the heart of the event, overflowing with 80,000 attendees. Beyond the stadium walls, tens of thousands more thronged the streets. Kilometers of lines snaked around the stadium, as people remained hopeful to catch a glimpse of Nasrallah and his deputy Sayyed Hashem Safieddine's coffins.

In a speech celebrating the legacy of Nasrallah and Safieddine, Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem lauded the martyrs, calling Sayyed Nasrallah "a historic, exceptional, patriotic, Arab, Islamic leader, the model of the free people of the world." He highlighted Nasrallah's deep connection with the people, stating, "Sayyed Nasrallah loved the people and they loved him." Sheikh Qassem added, "He led both hearts and minds, with his objective always being Palestine and al-Quds," emphasizing Nasrallah's focus on the liberation of Palestine. 

Qassem underscored Nasrallah's dedication to the Palestinian cause, affirming, "Sayyed Nasrallah's contribution was great in reviving the Palestinian cause; we will preserve this trust and will continue to tread this path." He pledged to continue Nasrallah's fight regardless of the cost, vowing, "We will continue Sayyed Nasrallah's path, even if our houses should be destroyed over our heads, even if we are all killed."

Recognizing the massive turnout at the event, Sheikh Qassem expressed gratitude, stating, "The mass mobilization today is unmatched in Lebanese history. You are a loyal and generous people." He also remembered Hezbollah's imprisoned members, pledging, "We hail our prisoners and tell them that we will not leave them with the Zionists."

Sheikh Qassem condemned Israel and its allies, asserting, "We confronted the Zionist entity and its tyrant backers, the United States, which stood against Gaza, Palestine, Lebanon, Iraq, and Iran." Despite the enormous pressures faced, he celebrated Hezbollah's strength and endurance, noting, "The amount of pressure faced by the Resistance, its fighters, and its popular base was unprecedented. But on the other hand, their resilience was also unprecedented."

Regarding the ceasefire with Israel, Sheikh Qassem explained, "We agreed to the enemy's request for a ceasefire because we had no interest in continuing the fight without any foreseen political or military future."

"Our point of strength is that we agreed to the enemy's request for a ceasefire based on our principles," he added. He went on to say, “The inevitable victory is coming," noting that Israel won’t be able to take through politics what it failed to achieve through war.

Hezbollah’s new leader also warned Israel on Sunday that the group had trusted the government to make sure that the ceasefire would hold. He said, however, that in the following days, Hezbollah might be forced to intervene if the regime continues violating the deal.   

Israel tried to prevent the Lebanese from holding a public funeral for Nasrallah months after assassinating him in a heavy airstrike in September. On his eventual funeral day, the regime’s fighter jets attempted to disrupt the ceremony by carrying out mock raids and breaking the sound barrier above the mourners. People did not leave the site and instead chanted “Death to Israel” before continuing the event for several more hours.