Hezbollah's leader vowed "resistance" was not over as tens of thousands mourned slain chief Hassan Nasrallah Sunday at his Beirut funeral, demonstrating continued support for the group after a devastating war with Israel.
During the funeral, women wailed as a truck carrying the coffins of Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine -- Nasrallah's chosen successor killed in another Israeli air strike -- slowly moved through the crowd, topped with two black turbans and draped in Hezbollah's yellow flag.
A procession headed towards 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.
The September killing of the charismatic leader -- who led Hezbollah for more than three decades -- in a massive Israeli strike dealt a heavy blow to the Iran-backed group.
But Hezbollah, which dominated Lebanon's politics for decades, has long had a support base in the country's Muslim community.
As the funeral began at the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium, Israeli warplanes flew at a low altitude over Beirut in what Defence Minister Israel Katz said was a "clear message" to anyone who threatens Israel.
"You will specialise in funerals -- and we in victories," Katz said.
In a televised address at the ceremony, Nasrallah's successor Naim Qassem said Hezbollah would keep following his "path", and rejected any control by the "tyrant America" over Lebanon.
"The resistance is not over, the resistance is still present and ready" to face Israel, he said.
Nasrallah speeches were blasted as the mourners raised their fists in the air and chanted: "We are at your service, Nasrallah."
Men, women and children walked in the biting cold to reach the site of the ceremony, which was delayed for months over security concerns.
"When I saw the coffin, reality dawned upon me," said Lara, 26, adding that she had a hard time coming to terms with his killing.
"The pain is great... words cannot describe how I feel," she added.
AFP correspondents said the stadium, which can accommodate roughly 78,000 people according to organisers, was fully packed.
As crowds gathered, the official National News Agency (NNA) reported Israeli strikes in Lebanon's south -- including one that wounded a Syrian girl -- and in the east.
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