Lebanon: Thousands attend funerals for Lebanese, Pals

By: Karim Tellawi

BEIRUT, Lebanon: Thousands of people on Saturday attended funerals held around the country for Lebanese and Palestinians whose bodies were brought from Israel on Friday.

Hezbollah Leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah led a street funeral prayer over the remains of Hezbollah fighters in the southern suburb of Beirut. Women were carrying the Lebanese flag and portraits of the fighters who were killed in Israel.

On Friday, thousands of flag-waving Lebanese showered rice and flowers over the coffins of 60 fighters that returned home as part of a German-brokered prisoner swap deal between Hezbollah and Tel Aviv.

Meanwhile, the leftist As-Safir daily said Hezbollah and German mediators were making moves to kickstart the second phase of a prisoner swap with Israel.

They have formed two committees to capitalize on Thursday's swap, in which hundreds of Palestinians and Arab prisoners were freed in exchange for an Israeli businessman and the bodies of three soldiers, according to the paper.

END