Shafaq News/ Lebanon's Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has been temporarily buried in a secret location due to fears that Israel might target a large funeral, a source close to the group told AFP on Friday.

"Hassan Nasrallah has been temporarily buried until circumstances allow for a public funeral," the source stated, following an Israeli airstrike that resulted in the leader's death last week.

The source added that holding a public funeral had become impossible "for fear of Israeli threats to target mourners and the place of his burial."

A Lebanese official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to AFP, indicated that Hezbollah had sought guarantees from top Lebanese officials but failed to secure any assurances from the United States, a key ally of Israel, that Israel would not strike a public funeral.

The news comes amid escalating Israeli bombardment of Hezbollah's stronghold in southern Beirut. A strike on September 27 resulted in Nasrallah's death, alongside an Iranian Revolutionary Guards general.

Israel claimed that around 20 members of the Iran-backed militant group were killed in the attack, a statement that Hezbollah has denied.

As of now, Hezbollah has not designated a successor to Nasrallah. Reports suggest that his cousin, Hashem Safieddine, a prominent figure within the group and rumored as a potential successor, was the target of a recent Israeli airstrike in southern Beirut.