Sawt Falasteen - Tens of thousands vow support for Hezbollah at Beirut funeral of slain leader

Women wailed as a black truck carrying the coffins of Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine -- Nasrallah's chosen successor killed in another Israeli air strike before he could assume the post -- slowly moved through the crowd, topped with two black turbans and draped in Hezbollah's yellow flag.

The September killing of the charismatic leader, who led the Lebanese movement for more than three decades, in a massive Israeli strike dealt a heavy blow to the Iran-backed group's reputation as a fighting force.

But Hezbollah, which also played a major role in the country's politics for decades, has long had a support base in the country's majority Shiite Muslim community.

The funeral ceremony for Nasrallah and Safieddine began at 1:00 pm (1100 GMT) at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium on the outskirts of Beirut.

Excerpts of Nasrallah's speeches were blasted in the stadium with tens of thousands of supporters raising their fists in the air and chanting "we are at your service Nasrallah" and "we are loyal to the promise Nasrallah".

Many men, women and children from Lebanon and beyond walked on foot in the biting cold to reach the site of the ceremony, that was delayed for months over security concerns.

One of them was Umm Mahdi, 55, who had come "to see him (Nasrallah) one last time and see his shrine".

"This is the least we can do for Sayyed who gave up everything," she added, using an honorific.

Women in long black robes and men carrying portraits of Nasrallah burst into tears as excerpts of his speeches were broadcast on a screen.

AFP correspondents at the stadium said the venue, which organisers said could accommodate roughly 78,000 people, was fully packed.

- 'Heroes of the resistance' -

As the crowds gathered, Lebanese state media reported Israeli strikes in Lebanon's south, including a location about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the border, with Israel's military saying it had struck "rocket launchers".

The Israeli army in a tweet ahead of the start of the funeral said "the world is a better place".

Israel has carried out multiple strikes in Lebanon since a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah went into effect on November 27, ending more than a year of hostilities including two months of all-out war.

The funeral comes days after the deadline for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon's south, with Israeli troops pulling out from all but five locations. Both sides have accused each other of violating the truce.

President Joseph Aoun asked Hezbollah ally Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to represent him at the ceremony, while Prime Minister Nawaf Salam was to be represented by Labour Minister Mohammed Haidar.

Hezbollah's weakening in the war was widely seen as having contributed to the election of Aoun, who named Salam as his premier last month after two years of leadership vacuum.

Iranian speaker of parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were in attendance, with representatives of Iraq's main pro-Iran factions also expected to come.

Araghchi, in a speech from Beirut, described the slain leaders as "two heroes of the resistance" and vowed that "the path of resistance will continue".

Sam Heller of the Century Foundation think tank told AFP that it was "important for the group to demonstrate that it remains a major social and political force, despite some of the setbacks it's been dealt".

Since Saturday, roads into Beirut have been clogged with carloads of supporters travelling in from Hezbollah's other power centres in south and east Lebanon.

Khouloud Hamieh, 36, came from the east to mourn the leader that she said was "dearest to our souls".

"The feeling is indescribable, my heart is beating (so fast)," she said, her eyes filled with tears.

Despite cold weather and large crowds, she said she would not have missed the funeral for anything.

- 'Dearest to our souls' -

A procession will then follow to the site near the airport highway where Nasrallah will be buried. Safieddine will be interred in his southern hometown of Deir Qanun al-Nahr on Monday.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar television said the movement was deploying 25,000 members for crowd control. A security source said 4,000 troops and security personnel would also be deployed.

Civil aviation authorities said Beirut airport will close exceptionally from midday until 4:00 pm.

In the decades since, views about Hezbollah in Lebanon have become increasingly polarised, with many criticising the group for initiating hostilities with Israel in support of Palestinian militant group Hamas.

T.Khatib--SF-PST