Beirut – The Islamic Group in Taalabaya, Bekaa, mourned the martyr Mahmoud Shaheen in a procession attended by thousands, including the Governor of Bekaa, Sheikh Rami Al-Zammar, as well as Ayman Shanaa, the official for national relations of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) in Lebanon, and Ali Abu Yassin, deputy head of the political bureau of the Islamic Group in Lebanon.
The funeral procession was also joined by the Mufti of Zahle and Bekaa, Sheikh Ali Al-Ghazawi, along with Islamic delegates and figures from various regions of Lebanon. The road at the crossroads of Taalabaya was closed in both directions in front of the Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Mosque during the passage of the procession, with Lebanese and Palestinian flags hoisted.
Funeral procession of a leader in the Islamic Group in Lebanon who was martyred in the assassination of commander Saleh Al-Arouri (social media platforms)
"Project Martyrdom"
In a statement to Al Jazeera Net, Bassam Hammoud, deputy head of the political bureau of the Islamic Group in Lebanon, said, "We and the Hamas movement are two sides of the same coin in the face of the Zionist enemy, and our covenant to the martyrs is to proceed on this path until truth is realized, the occupation is repelled, and the land is liberated."
Hammoud added that the ascension of the martyrs Shaheen and Bashasha in the assassination of Sheikh Saleh Al-Arouri confirms the blending of Lebanese and Palestinian blood in confronting the Israeli aggression on Gaza and southern Lebanon, just as hands and rifles are intertwined in the battlefield.
He affirmed their continued path of resistance, not deterred by the crime, considering "every individual among them as a prospective martyr in this path they have voluntarily chosen to fortify the word of God and liberate homelands."
Shaheen and Bashasha are the first two martyrs from the Islamic Group in the assassination operation of Al-Arouri since the start of the "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation on October 7, 2023. The group had previously announced more than once that it launched rockets from southern Lebanon towards Israeli settlements in the western Galilee without suffering any casualties.
The Islamic Group in Lebanon announced the martyrdom of two of its members in the assassination operation of commander Saleh Al-Arouri (social media platforms)
"Fuel of Resistance"
Hammoud explains that the rise to martyrdom is not an indicator of the extent of involvement in the battle because the group "participates in repelling the Zionist aggression on the south and supports our people in Gaza; thus, it is natural for us to have martyrs, and this is the price of resistance we have chosen as our path to achieve our objectives."
The Islamic leader continues: "Our resistance began with the occupation of Palestine and continued through all stages, not tied to persons but to confronting the criminal enemy and preventing its assaults."
He adds that contrary to the Zionist enemy's belief that operations like this assassination could deter them from continuing in the resistance, the blood of martyrs is the fuel of resistance and increases the mujahideen's resolve to avenge and retaliate for the innocent martyrs who fell to the Zionist killing machine in full view of the entire world.
The Islamic Group mourned the martyr Shaheen – this Wednesday afternoon – at the Great Mosque in Taalabaya, and Bashasha will be mourned next Friday in Sidon, to enable participation tomorrow, Thursday, in the funeral of the martyred leader Saleh Al-Arouri in Beirut.
