Hundreds gathered in Beirut's southern suburbs on Saturday night at the site where former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike two months prior.
Candles and Hezbollah's yellow flags surrounded the massive crater from the attack during a ceremony organized by the group. The event marked the end of their latest conflict with Israel, which concluded with a fragile ceasefire on Wednesday.
Speeches by Nasrallah played over loudspeakers, and red lights illuminated the scene, while large portraits of the late leader adorned the damaged buildings nearby.
"Sayyed Hassan meant everything to us. We wish we had died instead," said Lama, a 30-year-old woman who attended with her two children.
"He left an immense void," she added.
Close by, young people waving Hezbollah flags chanted, "At your command, Nasrallah."
"I still can't believe he's gone," said Lea, an 18-year-old student there with friends.
The southern suburbs of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, faced heavy bombardment during the two-month conflict with Israel.
The escalation began in late September after nearly a year of cross-border fire initiated by Hezbollah in solidarity with Hamas, following Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The September 27 airstrike that killed Nasrallah in an underground bunker also took the lives of another commander and a senior member of Iran's Revolutionary Guards.
Nasrallah was buried at a secret location to avoid potential targeting by Israel.
Hezbollah has announced plans for a public funeral after the ceasefire, but no date has been confirmed.
Comment: