 "A woman holds a picture of Lebanon's Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah who was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Beirut. Source: REUTERS.")
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike on September 27, has been temporarily buried at a secret location, news agency AFP quoted a source close to the Lebanese terrorist group on Friday as saying.
Nasrallah would remain buried at a secret location, “until the circumstances allow for a public funeral,” the source further said.
“Hassan Nasrallah has been temporarily buried, until the circumstances allow for a public funeral,” the source close to Iran-backed terrorist group was quoted as saying by the agency.
Why Nasrallah has been temporarily buried at secret location?
Nasrallah has been temporarily buried in a secret location for fear Israel would target a large funeral, the source further said.
A public funeral had been impossible to hold “for fear of Israeli threats they would target mourners and the place of his burial,” the person said.
The report said the choice of a secret location with low attendance was taken by the Iran-backed group as it feared that a large gathering might attract a fresh attack by Israel, which has been pounding various regions of Lebanon including central Beirut, which came under attack for the first time since 2006, and the country’s border with Syria, cutting off its road connectivity to the rest of the world.
Shiite Muslim rites provide for such a temporary burial when circumstances prevent a proper funeral or the deceased cannot be buried where they wished.
The AFP report quoted a Lebanese official, speaking on condition of anonymity, as saying that Hezbollah had, through top Lebanese officials, sought but failed to obtain “guarantees” from the United States that Israel would not target a public funeral.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsIts been a week since Nasrallah was assassinated and he still does not have a successor.
Nasrallah’s cousin Hashem Safieddine, a prominent Hezbollah figure touted as a possible successor, was the target of a recent Israeli air strike on south Beirut.
With inputs from AFP.