Lebanon

Hezbollah held a funeral for its former secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, and his designated successor, Hashem Safi al-Din, in Beirut. Hundreds of thousands of people attended, including an Iranian delegation led by the foreign minister and the speaker of the Majlis, as well as foreign delegations affiliated with the "resistance axis." The Lebanese president and prime minister did not attend the ceremony. the speaker of the Lebanese Parliament was the highest-ranking government representative; Hezbollah’ secretary general, Na’im Qassem (who did not attend the funeral), said the organization would follow Nasrallah's "legacy" and continue on the path of "resistance," adding that they would continue to support the Palestinians. He claimed Hezbollah had demonstrated resilience and agreed to the ceasefire because they did not wish to continue fighting without a "political horizon"; The IDF completed its withdrawal from south Lebanon, except for a presence at five strategic points near the border with Israel. Even after the withdrawal, IDF forces continued operations to prevent Hezbollah from strengthening its presence and military capabilities in south Lebanon. Senior Lebanese government officials said they would continue diplomatic efforts to secure the full withdrawal of Israel; Senior Lebanese officials met with the Iranians who arrived for Nasrallah’s funeral. Lebanese President Aoun told them his country was weary of the wars of other countries and called on foreign nations not to interfere in its internal affairs. Read more...