Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf is set to travel to Lebanon on Sunday to attend the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah, the former leader of Hezbollah, according to Iranian media reports.
Nawaf Salam, the new prime minister of Lebanon © Mena Today
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf is set to travel to Lebanon on Sunday to attend the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah, the former leader of Hezbollah, according to Iranian media reports.
Tens of thousands of people are expected to gather in Lebanon for Nasrallah’s funeral, following his death in an Israeli airstrike on September 27, 2024. The attack also claimed the life of Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan, a high-ranking commander in Iran’s Quds Force, responsible for Tehran’s external military operations.
Hezbollah, both a militarized organization and a dominant political party in Lebanon, was founded in the 1980s in the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution. It has received substantial financial and military support from Tehran over the years.
Following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which triggered the Gaza war, Hezbollah opened a northern front against Israel. The hostilities escalated into full-scale war in September 2024, before a ceasefire was brokered two months later.
The new Lebanese leadership, including the President and Prime Minister, has sought to limit the public exposure surrounding Nasrallah’s funeral.
The government is attempting to diminish Hezbollah’s political prominence, as the group has played a significant role in Lebanon’s prolonged political and economic crises over the past decades.
By Philippe Tanios
Abbas Araqchi, Iran's seasoned top diplomat, faces one of his most delicate challenges ever this weekend as he prepares to lead talks with the U.S. to secure a new nuclear deal and avert a military strike against the Islamic Republic.
Iran is giving talks with its arch foe the United States this weekend "a genuine chance", the Iranian foreign ministry's spokesperson posted on X on Friday.
The United States and Iran are due to hold talks on Saturday on Tehran's nuclear program as Britain, France and Germany consider whether to trigger a restoration of sanctions on Iran at the United Nations before a 2015 nuclear deal expires in October.
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