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Funerals for Hezbollah militants
Thousands in Lebanon have attended the funerals of eight Hezbollah militants whose bodies were returned by Israel as part of a prisoner swap two days ago. Grieving relatives and supporters of the Shia movement attended the service in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Under the deal, Hezbollah returned the bodies of two Israeli soldiers, whom it said were captured alive in an ambush in 2006, but were fatally wounded. The incident sparked a month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah. The remains of the Israeli reservists - Sgt Eldad Regev and Sgt Ehud Goldwasser - were buried on Thursday. Their funerals were broadcast live on national television. Thousands of mourners In Beirut, the eight coffins were decorated with Hezbollah's yellow flags, floral wreaths and a picture of each of the men. Opening the memorial service, the head of Hezbollah's executive council paid tribute to the men. "These martyrs have defeated the enemy... our enemy who was humiliated yesterday will remain so, by the grace of God," said Hashem Safieddine. "The brothers of these martyrs will confront the enemy [Israel] if it ever thinks of making the mistake" of attacking Lebanon, he added. The coffins were then carried through the Hezbollah stronghold of southern Beirut, as thousands of people followed. The bodies were then given to their families for burial. Posted by: Fred 2008-07-19 |
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