Israeli Fighter Jets Fly Over Beirut During Nasrallah's Funeral

The large funeral ceremony for the former Secretary-General of Hezbollah in Lebanon took place on Sunday, March 5, accompanied by Israeli military jets flying over Beirut, the capital of the country. The Israeli army announced shortly before that its planes flew 'at low altitude' over the city of Beirut, adding that this action was a 'clear message' to Hezbollah. Hours earlier, Israeli fighter jets had attacked targets near the city of Tyre and also in eastern Lebanon ahead of Hassan Nasrallah's funeral. A video of the Israeli jets flying over Beirut was shared. According to the German news agency citing Lebanon's state news agency, no casualties from this attack, which occurred on Sunday, March 5, have been reported so far, except for one Syrian girl who was injured. Simultaneously with the Israeli planes flying over Beirut, a special message from the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, who sent a delegation to Lebanon, was read at Nasrallah's funeral. Ali Khamenei stated in this message: 'The enemy should know that resistance against usurpation, oppression, and arrogance is not going to end and will continue until reaching its destination.' According to the Israeli army, the attacks on Sunday targeted a 'military site' that housed rocket launchers and where 'Hezbollah activities had been identified.' Based on the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, the deadline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory ended on Tuesday, February 30. However, the Israeli army announced on the same day that it would remain in five strategic positions in southern Lebanon for the time being to ensure the safe return of its citizens to their homes. Meanwhile, in the more than three months since the ceasefire began, the Israeli army has repeatedly attacked areas of Lebanese territory due to 'Hezbollah activities.' Hezbollah, the most important armed group supported by the Islamic Republic in the region, began rocket and drone attacks towards Israel on October 8, 2023, one day after the extremist group Hamas attacked Israeli territory, leading to prolonged conflicts between the two sides. Hezbollah confirmed the death of Hassan Nasrallah in the Israeli attack. In the final two months of these conflicts, Israel, through targeted attacks, killed almost all leaders and political and military personnel of Hezbollah, including Hassan Nasrallah, the group's Secretary-General. The recent Israeli attacks occurred just before a large funeral ceremony currently taking place in Beirut for Nasrallah, which will be attended by several senior officials from the Islamic Republic, including Abbas Araghchi, the Foreign Minister. At the same time, the official news agency IRNA reported on Sunday that a four-member delegation 'representing' the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic had arrived in Beirut to participate in the funerals of Nasrallah and Hashem Safi al-Din. Seyyed Hashem Safi al-Din, the head of Hezbollah's Executive Council, was killed on October 5, 2023, one week after Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike on the southern suburb of Beirut. According to Reuters from Beirut, 'tens of thousands' carrying photos of Nasrallah and Hezbollah flags gathered in the suburbs of the city to participate in this funeral. A 55,000-seat stadium in this area was 'filled hours before' the ceremony began.