Thousands gather for funeral of slain Hezbollah leaders

Thousands of mourners flock to the funeral of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and his heir apparent Hashem Safieddine, in a massive stadium on the outskirts of Beirut.

Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli strike in September while Safieddine was killed in another strike a week later. The funeral ceremony began at 1:00 pm. Many men, women and children from Lebanon and beyond walked on foot in the biting cold to reach the site of the ceremony, that was delayed for months over security concerns.

A founding member of Hezbollah in 1982, Nasrallah won renown around the Arab world in May 2000 when Israel ended its 22-year occupation of south Lebanon under relentless attack by the group under his leadership.

In the decades since, views about Hezbollah in Lebanon have become increasingly polarised, with many criticising the group for initiating hostilities with Israel in support of Palestinian militant group Hamas.