Middle East: Nasrallah funeral draws large crowds

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike in September, has been buried in a suburb of the Lebanese capital Beirut, the Iran-backed militant group confirmed to Germany's DPA news agency.

After a long-delayed funeral ceremony in Lebanon's largest stadium in front of tens of thousands of Hezbollah supporters, the coffin was brought to its burial site near the airport in a procession.

Live footage from Hezbollah TV station Al-Manar showed the coffin, draped in the militant group's flag, being carried through a crowd, with many trying to touch it.

Lebanese security sources reported that more than 400,000 visitors attended the funeral ceremony.

The final stage of the funeral was ultimately held in private, local media reported. 

Israel, meanwhile, released a video Sunday of Nasrallah's killing, during a bombing raid in a Beirut suburb on September 27.

After his death, Nasrallah was temporarily buried at a different location.

US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff told US broadcaster CNN that he expects an extension to phase one of the Israel-Hamas peace deal. 

The current ceasefire and hostage-return deal, which began in January, was meant to be rolled out in several phases. The two sides are currently overseeing phase one, which is to last six weeks and where 33 hostages were set to be freed. Details on phase two have yet to be negotiated.

Witkoff told CNN he will travel to the Middle East this week to discuss such an extension.

"We have to get an extension of phase one, and so I'll be going into the region this week, probably Wednesday, to negotiate that," Witkoff said. "And we're hopeful that we have the proper time... to begin phase two, and finish it off and get more hostages released."

Tens of thousands of Hezbollah supporters dressed in black packed into the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium on the outskirts of Beirut for Hassan Nasrallah's funeral on Sunday.

The former leader of the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement was killed in an Israeli strike in September.

The funeral began at 1 p.m. local time (1100 UTC) with a speech by Iran's religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The coffins of Nasrallah and another slain Hezbollah leader Hashem Safieddine were then driven into the stadium, where they were met with cheers from the crowd.

"We will uphold trust and walk on this path, we will uphold your will," current Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said in a speech broadcast at the event. 

During the ceremony, various news agencies also reported that Israeli warplanes flew low over the stadium.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the jets were sent as a "clear message" to anyone threatening Israel.

As tens of thousands of people gathered in Beirut, Lebanon, for the funeral of former Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Israel's military said the world is now "a better place."

"Today is Hassan Nasrallah's funeral. Today the world is a better place," the army posted on social media.

Nasrallah was killed by an Israeli strike in the Lebanese capital in September.

Israel said it is expanding its operations in the occupied West Bank and deploying tanks in the militant stronghold of Jenin.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said three of the West Bank's refugee camps had been displaced and that the military was preparing "for a prolonged presence" there.

He said in a statement that 40,000 Palestinians had been evacuated from the camps of Jenin, Tulkarm and Nur Shams and that they were "now empty of residents."

He added that Israeli troops were to remain there "for the coming year" to prevent "the return of residents and the resurgence of terrorism."

Israel's army also said it was "expanding its offensive activities" in the area and it was sending a tank division into Jenin.

Israel began its offensive in the northern West Bank last month, just two days after the Gaza ceasefire came into force, saying its aim was to root out militants.

Violence has surged in the territory since the war in Gaza began, killing many Palestinian residents and displacing tens of thousands.

Israel's military says it carried out a "targeted attack" in southern Lebanon on a site it said contained rocket launchers and other weapons.

The strike came ahead of the funeral of assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on social media that it had detected Hezbollah activity in the area that "posed a threat to Israeli citizens."

Earlier, Lebanese state media reported that Israeli strikes had hit southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel.

A truce deal between Israel and Hezbollah was agreed in November last year.

Militant group Hamas has condemned Israel's decision to postpone the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, accusing it of endangering the Gaza ceasefire deal.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced early Sunday that the prisoners would not be released until Hamas agreed to stop holding "humiliating" hostage handover ceremonies.

On Saturday, Hamas freed six hostages, five of whom were made to stand on a stage in front of a crowd of onlookers in Gaza. As part of the exchange, Israel was to release more than 600 Palestinians from Israeli jails on the same day.

The delay in freeing those Palestinian prisoners "exposes the entire agreement to grave danger," senior Hamas official Bassem Naim was quoted by the AFP news agency as saying.

He called on international mediators, "especially the United States," to pressure Israel "to implement the agreement as it is and immediately release this batch of prisoners."

Separately, Ezzat El Rashq from Hamas' political bureau told Reuters that Netanyahu's decision "reflects a deliberate attempt to disrupt the agreement, represents a clear violation of its terms, and shows the occupation's lack of reliability in implementing its obligations."

Tens of thousands of people have gathered in Lebanon's capital Beirut for the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah.

The former Hezbollah leader was killed nearly five months ago in a massive Israeli airstrike on a suburb south of Beirut.

His death was seen as a major blow for the Iran-backed movement, which comprises a political party and an armed wing. Nasrallah led the group for more than 30 years and was one of its founders. Under his direction, the organization developed into a major political and military power in Lebanon, as well as an influential force in the Middle East.

Hezbollah is classified as a terrorist organization by the US, Germany and several Sunni Arab countries, while the EU lists its armed wing as a terrorist group.

Sunday's funeral is to be held in Beirut's main sports stadium, which has a capacity of 50,000. Giant screens were also set up outside the venue.

Officials from around the region were expected to attend, including Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, as well as representatives of Lebanon's president and prime minister.

Hezbollah has called on its supporters to turn out in large numbers for the funeral, expected to be Lebanon's largest such ceremony in two decades.

Nasrallah's killing came after clashes between Israel and Hezbollah escalated into a full-scale war in September last year. A US-brokered ceasefire ended the conflict on November 27.

Nasrallah's funeral is due to start at 1:00 p.m. local time (1100 UCT).

Israel said it will delay the planned release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners until militant group Hamas agrees to forgo "humiliating ceremonies" when it releases Israeli hostages.

The announcement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office came early on Sunday, a day after Hamas released six Israeli hostages in Gaza.

The six men were the last living Israeli captives to be handed over during the first phase of a truce that began on January 19.        

Israel was meant to hand over more than 600 Palestinians held in Israeli jails in return.

But Netanyahu's office said it was holding off on delivering the prisoners "until the release of the next hostages has been assured, and without the humiliating ceremonies."

In its handovers, Hamas has made Israeli hostages appear on stage in front of crowds of onlookers in Gaza — displays the Red Cross and UN have described as cruel. Coffins with hostage remains have also been carried through crowds.

Hamas spokesperson Abdel Latif Al-Qanou accused Israel of violating the terms of the ceasefire by not releasing the Palestinian prisoners on Saturday as planned. Both sides have frequently accused each other of breaching the terms of the truce since it came into force last month.

The deal is due to expire in early March, and negotiations for a second phase to secure the release of more hostages have not yet begun. 

More than 60 Israeli hostages are still held in Gaza, less than half of whom are believed to be alive.