Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is traveling to Beirut for the funeral of Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah and his deputy, Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, who were both killed by Israel last year.

Nasrallah was killed on September 27, 2024, when Israel escalated attacks in response to a year of Hezbollah rockets on Israel. Safieddine, who was named Hezbollah’s new secretary-general following Nasrallah's assassination, was killed the next month.

Araqchi will arrive at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport on Sunday morning, Iran’s state media IRNA said. He will participate in the funeral procession, which the report says will take place at 1 p.m. local time. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf will also be among the attendees of the funeral ceremonies, the report added. The last time Ghalibaf was in the Lebanese capital, he piloted an Iranian aircraft that landed in the city with a delegation in October 2024.

Nasrallah was the head of Hezbollah for 32 years. Iranian Parliament member Alireza Salimi told the IRNA on Saturday that Ghalibaf will take part in the funeral procession "along with several other Iranian officials and lawmakers."

Crucial for the Islamic Republic to still show support to Hezbollah

This is an important moment for Iran to showcase it still backs Hezbollah. After the fall of the Assad regime in early December, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been cut off from a land corridor to re-supply Hezbollah. As such, this funeral is one way they can still show support.
Supporters of Hezbollah attend a protest organized by them against what they said was violation of national sovereignty, near Beirut international airport, Lebanon, February 15, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/EMILIE MADI)
Supporters of Hezbollah attend a protest organized by them against what they said was violation of national sovereignty, near Beirut international airport, Lebanon, February 15, 2025. (credit: REUTERS/EMILIE MADI)
Large numbers of people have been flying into Beirut and arriving by road from Lebanon. Flights have been packed from Baghdad, heading to Beirut for the funeral. The people coming from Iraq include Shi’ites who back Hezbollah, with members of Iraqi Shi’ite militias likely arriving as well. These are members of Hashd al-Shaabi, or what is known as the Popular Mobilization Units, and the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which is an umbrella group of militias that attacked Israel over the past year.

The New Arab news outlet noted that the Lebanon-based terrorist organization "called for widespread participation in the funeral ceremony" for Nasrallah, estimating that it will be "one of the biggest ceremonies in Lebanon’s recent history.

The funeral will take place at Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, the report added, and will "draw tens of thousands of mourners and Hezbollah supporters from across Lebanon and abroad, including Iran, Iraq, and Yemen.”