Israeli Air Force Fighters Overfly Nasrallah Funeral In Show Of Force
Israeli Air Force F-15s and F-35s flew over the Beirut stadium hosting the funeral of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday in a show of force as the long-serving former leader received an official burial after his death in a September 27 airstrike.
“Israeli Air Force aircraft currently flying over Beirut, over the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah, convey a clear message: Whoever threatens to destroy Israel and attack Israel — it will be their end,” said Israeli defense minister Israel Katz. “You will specialize in funerals, and we will specialize in victories.”
The funeral at Beirut’s Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium also was a joint funeral for Hashem Safieddine, Nasrallah’s heir apparent, who was himself killed in an October airstrike.
In a video speech broadcast at the funeral, current Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said the “resistance is not over” and vowed to continue Nasrallah’s legacy, but said Hezbollah would rely on the Lebanese government to negotiate an end to Israeli forces’ “occupation” of five locations in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli Air Force also released targeting pod footage of the September 27 airstrike that killed Nasrallah in his underground headquarters complex located below Beirut’s southern Dahiyeh suburb.
Hezbollah had waited for Israel to begin withdrawing its troops from southern Lebanon under the terms of a US-backed ceasefire to conduct a formal funeral for Nasrallah. Since the ceasefire on November 27, Israeli forces have withdrawn from all but five locations in southern Lebanon, with Tel Aviv claiming that it is not completing the withdrawal due to Hezbollah not withdrawing its forces as required by the ceasefire.
The terms of the ceasefire also permit Israel to target Hezbollah equipment and personnel that it considers to be a threat, with the Israeli Air Force conducting a series of airstrikes across Lebanon before the funeral that it claims destroyed multiple Hezbollah rocket launchers that threatened Israeli civilians.