Hezbollah‘s slain leader Hassan Nasrallah has been temporarily laid to rest in an undisclosed location, according to sources close to the group. The decision was made due to concerns that Israel would target a large public funeral, according to AFP sources.
“Hassan Nasrallah has been temporarily buried, until the circumstances allow for a public funeral,” the source said, following Nasrallah’s death in an Israeli strike last week.
The source explained that a public funeral was not feasible “for fear of Israeli threats they would target mourners and the place of his burial”.
In Shiite Muslim tradition, a temporary burial is permitted when circumstances prevent a proper funeral or when the deceased cannot be buried in their desired location.
According to a Lebanese official who requested anonymity, Hezbollah had sought “guarantees” from the United States, a key ally of Israel, through top Lebanese officials, that Israel would not target a public funeral. However, these efforts were unsuccessful.
Nasrallah was killed alongside an Iranian Revolutionary Guards general in a massive Israeli strike on Hezbollah’s stronghold in south Beirut on September 27, amid escalating Israeli bombardment of the group. Israel claimed to have killed around 20 members of the Iran-backed militant organization.
A week after Nasrallah’s death, Hezbollah has yet to name a successor. US and Israeli media reported that Nasrallah’s cousin, Hashem Safieddine, a prominent Hezbollah figure considered a potential successor, was recently targeted in an Israeli air strike on south Beirut.