Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi and parliament speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf are due to attend the funeral of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut on Sunday.
His assassination by Israel last year marked an epochal setback to Tehran and its network of armed allies in the Middle East.
Ghalibaf secured attendance after personal follow-ups and an official invitation from Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, IRGC-affiliated Fars News reported Saturday.
The outlet also said Lebanese authorities did not extend an official invitation to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian..
Additionally, Fars noted that religious and Islamic jurisprudential considerations, specifically the obligation to expedite burial after a temporary interment, prevented the funeral from being held in Iran.
Lebanese authorities recently blocked Iranian flights from landing in Beirut, citing security risks and warnings from the US that Israel might target incoming Iranian planes. According to AFP, Israel had informed Lebanon via Washington that it would consider an landing in Beirut as a military escalation, alleging that Hezbollah uses civilian flights to transfer weapons and funds from Iran.
The flight restrictions have prevented a larger Iranian delegation and citizens from attending the funeral, according to Iranian media.
Nasrallah’s burial, five months after his assassination by Israel, will take place at Beirut’s Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium and also honor Hashem Safi al-Din, who briefly led Hezbollah before being assassinated by Israel.
Once Iran’s most powerful regional proxy armed militia, Hezbollah was founded with the support of the Revolutionary Guards in 1982 but suffered heavy losses in last year’s war, with Israel significantly weakening its military and political power. While Tehran remains its key backer, the group’s diminished strength has raised questions about its ability to project power as it once did.
Earlier this month, US envoy Morgan Ortagus declared that Hezbollah’s “reign of terror” was over, crediting US pressure on Iran for the group’s decline. After meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, she warned that Hezbollah’s involvement in the new government crosses a US “red line.”
As the group prepares for its leader’s funeral, it faces mounting challenges both militarily and politically.
