Hezbollah MP says Berri to represent Aoun at Nasrallah funeral
Loyalty to Resistance bloc MP Ali Fayad said the funeral of slain Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday will witness “a million-person rally that is unprecedented in Lebanese political history.”
“Hundreds of delegations from 65 countries have confirmed their attendance, in addition to hundreds of Lebanese figures and 400 foreign officials,” Fayad added, in remarks to LBCI television.
“I have learned that Speaker Nabih Berri will attend the funeral and will be representing the president. This occasion is not exclusive to the Shiite sect but rather a national occasion,” Fayad said.
Hezbollah is preparing for a massive turnout for Nasrallah’s funeral on Sunday, an opportunity for a show of strength by the group after a bruising war with Israel.
The country will stop for Sunday's funeral, to be held at 1:00 pm (1100 GMT) at the Camille Chamoun sports stadium on the capital's outskirts.
Hezbollah has announced strict security measures and urged security forces to help manage crowds that are expected to number in the tens of thousands, with people pouring in from Hezbollah strongholds across the country, as well as from abroad.
The ceremony is expected to last around an hour, including a speech by current leader Sheikh Naim Qassem, who has called for a huge turnout.
A procession will follow to Nasrallah's burial site near the airport road, now lined with yellow Hezbollah flags and images of him and other slain Hezbollah figures.
Civil aviation authorities said Beirut airport will close exceptionally and flights will be suspended from midday until 4:00 pm.
The U.S. embassy has urged Americans to avoid the area.
Hezbollah was battered by more than a year of hostilities with Israel that culminated in two months of full-blown war before a ceasefire took effect on November 27.
After Nasrallah was killed on September 27, the group delayed his funeral due to security concerns.
Iraqi Airways and Lebanon's Middle East Airlines have increased services between Baghdad and Beirut ahead of the funeral.
Representatives of Iraq's main pro-Iran factions are to participate, while several Iraqi lawmakers are expected to attend privately.
Source: Naharnet
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