Hassan Nasrallah’s Funeral & the further Globalization of the Resistance, of the Intifada!

The world descended upon Beirut, as more than a million by some estimates, gathered to pay their respect and homage to Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Hezbollah, an integral part of the Axis of Resistance. I was honoured to be present and witness as part of the delegation from India.

Today, Hassan Nasrallah has joined the great pantheon of international icons of national liberation movements such as Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, Imam Khomeini, Yasser Arafat and Hugo Chavez amongst others. Each of these legends, being a symbol of anti-colonial & anti-imperialism in their nations and the world and each one of them committed to the liberation of Palestine.

Hassan Nasrallah was finally laid to rest on the 23rd of February 2025. A massive gathering was organised at the Chamille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, which itself has a capacity of up to 80,000. There were delegations & dignitaries from more than 80 nations. As we moved towards the stadium, I saw entire families, grandparents, parents, children, babies in prams, war veterans in crutches, those blinded by the pager bomb terror attack, all walking silently to pay homage to a venerated father figure. They all wore black, which is a colour that symbolises mourning in Shia tradition. They all held posters & photos of their beloved leader, all held the yellow flag of the Hezbollah. It’s true, very true, Hezbollah is part of the people. It’s leaders, cadres & organization are loved & respected by the people for their remarkable contributions & sacrifices and cannot be destroyed. And clearly, this adulation, love and respect goes far beyond the borders of Lebanon, to now every country of the world.

Thus, there were huge delegations from Palestine, Iraq, Yemen, with their flags visible amongst the crowds. There were delegations from many Asian, African, European, South & North American nations. As usual, the Indian & Pakistani delegation shared our own camaraderie (despite the cricket).

The delegations & message from the countries that comprise the Axis of the Resistance was very clear. Nabih Berri the Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament led the delegation on behalf of the Lebanese government. This is despite the increasing US control over the Lebanese government & the hurdles that they create at every level. Again, despite great hurdles created for the Iranian delegation, Mr. Muhammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament arrived with a high-powered delegation in a private plane. The delegations from Iraq, Palestine & Yemen too included prominent figures.

Sheikh Naeem Qasim, the new Gen. Secretary of the Hezbollah made the concluding speech. His leadership is providing the vision & the stability, which now is very crucial for the future course of the Hezbollah, the Palestinian liberation struggle & the entire Muqawama, the Resistance in the region & the world.

The message was very clear. Despite the massive blows & losses, the Hezbollah, the Resistance, stands strong & resolute. They are ready to take on the combined might of the US, Israel, Britain, Germany, France and the other neo-imperial powers. That the Hezbollah stands with the people of Gaza, with all of Palestine. That the Axis of Resistance stands undefeated and his heading towards its ultimate victory.

Today, more than ever before, Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah, Ismail Haniyeh, Yahya Shinwar, the Hamas, al-Fatah, PFLP & the other resistance factions of Palestine, Gen. Qasem Soleimani of Iran, the Iraqi Hashd-al-Shabi (People’s Mobilisation Units that defeated the ISIS), Abdul Malek al Houthi, the leader of the Ansarullah-led government of Yemen, the entire Axis of Resistance, are all household names worldwide. Whilst Netanyahu, Biden, Blinken, Trump & Marco Rubio, all seen as genocidal, ethnic cleansing war criminals. Thanks to social media and the thousands of journalists who face the bullets and hypocrisy of the West, the global narrative is fast changing, has changed, as to who the real terrorising war mongers are.

I, myself arrived in Beirut on the 21st, and despite the logistical hurdles in traveling to nations in war zones, our hosts & organisers put in a lot of hard work, despite the odds, to ensure our presence and our security.

After appearing for a popular podcast show hosted by Mortada, a highly gifted student, later in the evening a friend of mine took me to Dahiei to pay homage & offer my condolences to the martyrs & their families. The Israeli bombing of Lebanon focused on the South of Lebanon & the civilian suburb of Dahiei, where most of the Hezbollah families live. I visited the bombed buildings and the two cemeteries wherein lay the graves of the martyrs.Whilst there, newly found bodies were being brought for burial, as many still lay dead, and remain under the rubble.

I also visited the site where the Israeli’s assassinated Sayed Hassan Nasrallah. It was late at night, cold and drizzling, yet many were making their way to the hallowed ground, wherein he was martyred. I uttered my prayers & picked up a handful of soil as a memory, as a Tabarrukh, a pious relic. I was also gifted a piece of cloth by a Lebanese youngster. During the burial ceremony, many were rushing towards the coffin in which lay Shaheed Sayed Hassan Nasrallah, and they were throwing pieces of cloth, which were then rubbed upon (Mas) the coffin & thrown back to the crowds. Both the piece of cloth & the handful of soil are part of my collection of pious & secular relics back home in India.

Whilst speaking to my friends in Beirut, the little bit of heart-warming news was that the Sunnis in the North of Lebanon opened their doors & homes to the Shia who were being bombed in the South & in Beirut. The Christians too helped & were, and all are supportive & sympathetic. This tragedy will only further unite the people of Lebanon, all the people of the Middle-East, as they are, the nations and people of the world. At the top, where the US-Israeli-French pressure divides & manipulates the political ruling elite, the people are united in their Resistance & are supporting each other.

Sayed Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated on the 27th of September 2024, by a massive attack by Israel warplanes who dropped 80 massive bombs on a building complex in Dahiei, where he functioned from an underground bunker. Shamefully, the Israeli’s released the footage of the attack on the day of the funeral, to further provoke his followers.

In fact, on the very day of the funeral, even as the ceremony was on, Israeli war planes flew twice over the stadium at an interval of 30 minutes. The intention was to cause panic & chaos, with the people running for shelter. But not one person moved from their seats and in fact stood defiantly, shouting, “Israel Murdabad! Amrika Murdabad! Down with Israel! Down with America!”

Later on, we got to know that according to the Israeli Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, they were seriously considering bombing the funeral gathering. The threat was always lingering. It could either have been the Israelis themselves unleashing their fighter-jets, or then one of the Mossad assets, such as the Al Qaeda, ISIS, sending in a suicide bomber. If the Israelis did attack, this region would have exploded into a war, a war that is on-going, with a larger war looming in the near horizon.

As we headed back to our countries that message from Beirut was clear – the 7th of October al-Aqsa Storm Revolution is heading for its culmination. The people of the Middle-East/West Asia are fighting the Last War of Liberation from the Zionist-Imperialist Israel-US genocidal colonial ethnic-cleansing occupation and despite the odds, Palestine will be Free. We returned home, back to our nations, with a message of hope and inspiration.

Feroze Mithiborwala is Founder and Gen. Sec., India Palestine Solidarity Forum