The funeral ceremony for the leader of the Lebanese Shiite group Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike last fall, began in the Lebanese capital Beirut, with tens of thousands of people flocking to it, DPA reported.
Over 50,000 mourners gathered for the worship in and around the city's "Kamiy Shamoun" stadium - the largest in the country, a reporter for the agency reported.
The ceremony began with a speech by Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. After a prayer, the coffins with the mortal remains of the slain "Hezbollah" leaders Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine, who was considered Nasrallah's successor before he was killed, were brought into the stadium.
At that moment, four Israeli warplanes flew low over the stadium, a DPA reporter explained.
The current leader of "Hezbollah" Naim Qassem is scheduled to give a speech to the crowd of mourners, the agency added.