Uncertainty over Hassan Nasrallah’s burial place as supporters mourn across the region

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Hezbollah has yet to announce plans for the funeral of its leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli air strike on Friday, with conflicting reports emerging on whether his final resting place will be in Lebanon or Iraq.

Over the past days, claims by Iraqi officials and local media have suggested that Nasrallah may be buried in the revered Imam Hussein shrine in the city of Karbala, south of Baghdad, as a sign of his status within the Shiite community. However, no official statement has been made by Hezbollah or Nasrallah’s family.

“The body of the beloved will be buried next to ... Imam Hussein, peace be upon him, in Karbala,” Abdul Amir Al Teiban, an adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, said on X on Sunday.

The air strike that hit Hezbollah’s underground central command in the southern suburbs of Beirut marked one of the most significant escalations between Hezbollah and Israel in years. Israeli attacks on Hezbollah have escalated over the past month that have killed more than 1,000 people in Lebanon, according to the country's Health Ministry.

On Sunday, Nasrallah’s body was recovered from the site of the strike which levelled six residential buildings. His body had no direct wounds and the cause of death appeared to be blunt trauma from the force of the blast, Reuters reported, citing medical and security sources. Several senior Hezbollah commanders and at least one Iranian General linked to Iran’s Quds Force were also killed.

Public mourning for Nasrallah has already begun in both Lebanon and Iraq. In several Iraqi cities, symbolic funeral processions are being held, with supporters carrying a mock coffin and chanting in honour of the assassinated leader. Shiite religious leaders, politicians and residents are setting up tents to receive mourners with his pictures in the streets with his saying: “Certainly, we will triumph.”

In Shiite Islam, the burial of senior religious leaders and clerics within the shrines of revered Imams holds profound religious and spiritual significance. These burial sites are often located in iwans, the vaulted and open-fronted small halls that surround the shrines.

Burial within or near the shrine is not just a religious honour but a symbolic gesture, elevating Nasrallah’s status by associating him with the spiritual and historical significance of the Imam. As the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, Imam Hussein is a central figure in Shiite Islam, deeply rooted in Shiite narratives for fighting against oppression and tyranny.

Early on Tuesday, the Israeli military announced that it had launched a ground invasion in southern Lebanon. Military spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on X that forces had begun to target Hezbollah infrastructure and the offensive is taking place “in a number of villages near the border from which an immediate and real threat to Israeli towns on the northern border emanates”.