Hezbollah supporters gathered near the tomb of the group's late former chief Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs on Sunday, with thousands carrying Hezbollah flags and portraits of the longtime leader. The ceremony was held in the group's stronghold, which has been repeatedly pounded by Israeli airstrikes during the wars of 2024 and 2026. The event marked the second anniversary of Nasrallah's killing by Israel.
Nasrallah, who led Hezbollah for more than three decades, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs on September 27, 2024. The strike that killed him levelled six apartment buildings in Dahiyeh, according to Lebanon's health ministry, which reported 91 people wounded. Several senior Hezbollah commanders were also killed in the attack. His chosen successor Hashem Safieddine was killed in another Israeli strike days later.
Ali Nasser, 30, from Haddatha in south Lebanon, said the commemoration was a historic day to renew their pledge to Nasrallah. "This is a historic day. Every year we commemorate it to renew our pledge to Nasrallah that we are walking along his path," he said. The former chief "illuminated the path for us and God willing, we'll carry on... these crowds are proof of our continuation and our loyalty to this pledge".
Ibrahim Hijazi, 56, from Blida in south Lebanon, a border town under Israeli occupation, said the occasion was sacred for them. "This is a sacred occasion for us," he said. "We lost someone dear to us, but thank God, Sheikh Naim and others are here," he said, referring to current Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem.
The November 2024 ceasefire halted the large-scale fighting but did not end Israeli attacks in Lebanon, with Israel continuing to carry out airstrikes and violating the agreement's terms. Under the deal, Hezbollah was required to withdraw its forces and weapons from areas south of the Litani River, while the Lebanese army was to expand its deployment and the government was to work towards establishing state control over weapons.
Fighting escalated again in March 2026, after Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel amid a wider regional war that followed US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Israel responded by intensifying its attacks in Lebanon and pressing ahead with a ground invasion, unleashing widespread bombardment and displacing hundreds of thousands of people while adding to the destruction left by the previous war.
Since the war began, Israel has killed more than 4,300 people in Lebanon, while hundreds of thousands have been displaced by the fighting. Israeli attacks later declined following a fragile ceasefire announced in June after a US-Iran understanding on the broader regional war, while Lebanon and Israel subsequently reached a framework agreement aimed at addressing the continuing hostilities and Israel's occupation in southern Lebanon.
Key points
- Hezbollah supporters gathered in Beirut to mark the second anniversary of former chief Hassan Nasrallah's killing by Israel.
- Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs on September 27, 2024.
- The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has resulted in over 4,300 deaths in Lebanon and widespread displacement.
