Jerusalem [Israel], February 3 : Hezbollah has announced that the funeral of its slain former chief, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in September of last year, will take place on February 23, as reported by The Times of Israel.
Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on September 23.
Hezbollah's current chief Naim Qassem announced the funeral date in a televised speech, The Times of Israel reported.
"After security conditions prevented holding a funeral" during two months of all-out war that ended with a ceasefire deal reached on November 27, Hezbollah has decided to hold "on February 23 a grand... public funeral," he said. "We hope that it will be a grand funeral procession befitting this great personality," Qassem added.
In a video message in October last year, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed the death of Nasrallah. "We've degraded Hezbollah's capabilities. We took out thousands of terrorists, including Nasrallah himself and Nasrallah's replacement, and the replacement of the replacement," Netanyahu said.
Qassem also confirmed that Hashem Safieddine, who was chosen as Nasarallah's successor was also killed in Israeli airstrikes in October. "Safieddine will be buried "as secretary-general" or leader of Hezbollah, because "we had... elected His Eminence Sayyed Hashem as secretary-general... but he was martyred on October 3, a day or two before the announcement," Qassem said.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Sunday (local time) claimed that it has killed 50 Palestinian terrorists since launching an offensive in the northern West Bank nearly a fortnight ago, as reported by The Times of Israel.
The IDF said that 35 gunmen were killed during operations in Jenin, Tulkarem, and the Tamun area, while 15 others were killed in drone strikes. The IDF also admitted to "mistakenly" targeting civilians, including a toddler, during these operations, The Times of Israel reported.
According to the IDF, it has detained 100 Palestinian terrorists and over 40 weapons have been confiscated. More than 80 explosives were also neutralised during the 'Operation Iron Wall', the IDF added.
The offensive was launched on January 21 and the military said that it will continue for several more weeks.
The IDF has demolished 23 buildings in the Jenin refugee camps, which it said were used by terrorists for their operations.