Dozens of women mourning the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah sat outside an Australian mosque after the women’s section was filled.
Hundreds of people attended a prayer session at the All Rahman Mosque in Kingsgrove, in Sydney’s south, on Tuesday to pay their respects to the terrorist organisation’s leader for the second night in a row.
Hezbollah, a recognized terrorist organization, confirmed on Saturday that Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon’s capital, last week.
Women were given chairs to sit outside the mosque as Nasrallah, a founding member of Hezbollah, was celebrated as a martyr.
Men could also be seen entering and leaving the mosque to pay their respects, while others wearing reflective vests stood at nearby tables offering food and water to attendees.
It marked the second night of a three-day vigil for the leader that began the day after protesters took to the streets in Sydney and Melbourne on Sunday.
Just hours before Tuesday’s prayer session, Israel announced that it had launched a “localized and targeted” invasion of Lebanon to drive Hezbollah from the border.
More protests are set to take place in Sydney over two days over the upcoming bank holiday weekend, prompting a call from NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb for them to be banned, citing safety fears. .
Dozens of women cried outside a Sydney mosque (pictured) on Tuesday night after the women’s section was packed for a prayer session in honor of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Australian, indigenous, Lebanese and Palestinian flags flew outside the mosque as hundreds of people filed in (pictured) for the second of a three-day vigil for Nasrallah.
Footage from Tuesday’s meeting showed Australian, indigenous, Lebanese and Palestinian flags flying outside the mosque.
Attendees of all ages, including young children and teenagers, could be seen solemnly and silently listening to the prayers and speeches of community leaders.
Leaders at the Al Rahman mosque told hundreds of attendees on Monday that Nasrallah had been a “supporter of the oppressed.”
“When the martyrs depart, they leave behind an eternal legacy of good works and reputation that (forges) a path for future generations who will carry forward the ideology and the movement, and shake the thrones of injustice everywhere,” one leader said in Arabic and translated by The Australian.
Mosque leaders told hundreds of attendees on Monday that Nasrallah had been a “supporter of the oppressed” and celebrated him as a “martyr.” The photo shows the prayer from the Tuesday night session.
Men in high-visibility jackets waited on tables outside the mosque while providing food and water to attendees (pictured)
‘This is what our martyrs would have wanted so that their blood would not be shed in vain.’
The celebration of Nasrallah’s life has continued to spark controversy after Hezbollah flags were flown at protests in Sydney, prompting an investigation by the Australian Federal Police.
A statement from the New South Wales Police on Tuesday announced its intentions to block the upcoming protests after organizers submitted the necessary forms for the public meeting.
“Operation Shelter officers have conducted negotiations with the protest organisers… but are not satisfied that the protest can proceed safely,” it reads.
‘Accordingly, the Commissioner has decided to ask the New South Wales Supreme Court to ban the two meetings.
The second day of vigils came after New South Wales police announced plans to block protests in Sydney next Sunday and Monday over security fears.
Nasrallah was one of the founding members of Hezbollah, a known terrorist organization, which confirmed his death on Saturday and sparked protests in Sydney and Melbourne.
The prayer session came just hours after Israel announced it had launched a “limited” ground invasion of Lebanon on Tuesday (pictured after Israeli strikes in Beirut).
‘The New South Wales Police Force recognizes and supports the rights of individuals and groups to exercise their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.
“However, NSW Police’s first priority is the safety of participants and the wider community.”
The statement was released just hours after Israel and Hezbollah launched artillery barrages across the border, almost a year after the October 7 attacks.
Israeli officials announced on Monday (local time) that they had launched ground attacks based on “accurate intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon.”
“These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel,” read a statement from Israeli officials.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong has urged Australians in Lebanon to leave the country as soon as possible after Israel attacked Hezbollah targets using hundreds of explosive pagers and walkie talkies in September.
The two waves of explosions on simultaneous days killed 37 people and injured about 3,000 more, according to Lebanese officials.
