Large crowds have gathered for the funeral of Hezbollah's former leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli air strike in Beirut in September. Mourners dressed in black flocked to a stadium on the outskirts of the Lebanese capital on Sunday. They also paid their respects to Hashem Safieddine, Nasrallah's successor, who was killed in a separate Israeli strike before he could assume his post. Nasrallah, the former leader of the Lebanese militant Shia Islamist group, was one of the most influential figures in the Middle East. Hours before the funeral began at 13:00 local time (11:00 GMT), Israel launched air strikes in southern Lebanon targeting Hezbollah rocket launchers.