When and where will Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah be buried?

Several days have passed since Israel assassinated Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut's southern suburbs on Friday.

Nasrallah's body was recovered on Saturday, washed and placed in a shroud, following the customary Islamic tradition for burial preparation. However, much uncertainty lies around when, where and how he would be laid to rest.

A source close to the group told Reuters on Sunday that a funeral ceremony and his burial had "not yet been arranged".

However, Several Israeli media outlets reported on Thursday that Nasrallah's funeral would be held on Friday.

Hezbollah's media relations official, Mohammed Afif, denied these reports in an interview with the Lebanese OTV channel.

Afif confirmed that no decision had been made on when Nasrallah would be buried.

Multiple scenarios 

Lebanese media outlets have speculated on the possible scenarios over his burial.

Lebanese broadcaster LBCI reported that Nasrallah's funeral would be a large-scale public procession held in either the southern suburbs of Beirut, south Lebanon or in the Bekaa Valley - areas that form the core of Hezbollah's support base and where the group enjoys an overwhelming majority backing.

However, these areas have been under Israeli bombardment for the past week, making this scenario feasible only if a ceasefire deal is reached.

The broadcaster reported that another possibility would be that Nasrallah would have a private burial ceremony, attended only by close family and senior party leaders, under heightened security.

The outlet said that if burying Nasrallah in Lebanon would prove to be challenging, his body could be transported abroad, with Iraq's Karbala as a likely location - one of Shia Islam's holiest sites.

Abdalameer Al-Taiban, an advisor to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani, said in a post on X that Nasrallah would be buried in Karbala.

However, sources close to the party denied this in comments to the pan-Arab daily Asharq Al-Awsat, confirming that Nasrallah's burial would "take place in Lebanon".

There was also increased speculation that Nasrallah may have already been buried according to Islamic customs which emphasise the immediate burial of the deceased.

Hezbollah's former leader and founder, Abbas al-Musawi, who was also assassinated in an Israeli airstrike targeting his car in 1992, was buried in his hometown of Nabi Chit in the Bekaa Valley.

A shrine was erected in his honour at the burial site, where he rests alongside his wife and son, both of whom were killed in the same attack. The shrine has since become a popular site, attracting many visitors, including tourists.