With flowers, tears and defiance, thousands bury nearly 100 Lebanese in mass funeral

Thousands of mourners in southern Lebanon have attended a funeral for nearly 100 Lebanese killed last year during the war between Israel and Hezbollah. It was the largest mass burial ceremony in Lebanon since the U.S.-brokered ceasefire three months ago. It followed last week’s burial of Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s former leader, and his top aide in Beirut attended by tens of thousands. The emotional ceremony Friday was organized to mark the return of the bodies of those killed to their hometown of Aitaroun, one of the largest villages in southern Lebanon, which was devastated during the war. The 95 bodies had been temporarily buried elsewhere and were exhumed for the reburial.