Thousands to attend Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's funeral in Beirut today

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Beirut early Sunday to attend the funeral of Hezbollah's former leader, nearly five months after he was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a southern suburb of the Lebanese capital.

Hassan Nasrallah was killed when Israel's air force dropped more than 80 bombs on the militant group's main operations room.

His death was a major blow for the Iran-backed group that the late leader transformed into a potent force in the Middle East.

Nasrallah was the group's leader for more than 30 years and one of its founders.

He enjoyed wide influence among Iran-backed groups in the region and was widely respected in the so-called Iran-led axis of resistance that included Iraqi, Yemeni and Palestinian factions.

Officials from around the region including Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were expected to attend the funeral at the Lebanese capital's main sports stadium.

Lebanese officials including the parliament speaker and representatives of the president and prime minister were expected to attend the funeral believed to be Lebanon's largest in two decades.

Senior Hezbollah official Ali Daamoush told reporters Saturday that about 800 personalities from 65 countries will be attending the funeral in addition to thousands of individuals and activists who came from around the world.

Nasrallah will be laid to rest later Sunday in Beirut while his cousin and successor Hashem Safieddine, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb a few days later, will be laid to rest in his hometown in southern Lebanon.