 |
| 16/07/2008 At 17:25 local time Wednesday, Lebanon finally embraced the five released detainees after Hezbollah succeeded to exchange them and the remains of some 200 martyrs with two dead Israeli soldiers in the framework of Operation Al-Redwan, a UN brokered swap deal between Hezbollah and Israel.
The operation is the last of Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah’s true pledges.
An ICRC minibus transported Samir Kintar, Maher Kourani, Khodor Zaidan, Mohammed Srour and Hussein Suleiman from occupied territories to Naqura south of Lebanon. As previously announced by Hezbollah official Wafiq Safa, upon the arrival of the five heroes, the remains of more Israeli soldiers killed in the 2006 Israeli aggression against Lebanon were handed over to the ICRC. The heroes put on their military uniforms before being received by thousands of people whether in south Lebanon, the airport or Dahye.
Sayyed Ibrahm Amine el-Sayyed, the head of Hezbollah’s Political Council and Hezbollah’s official in south Lebanon received the five heroes. “You have returned as heroes and free men. From here they entered Palestine, only the trees and the land saw them. And from here they returned to the country of resistance, Jihad, martyrdom, victory and honor,” his eminence said.
At 19:30 local time, Kintar, Kourani, Zaidan, Srour and Suleiman boarded the presidential helicopter that transported them to Beirut’s international airport, where President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri and PM Fouad Saniora as well as MP Saad Hariri, MP Michel Aoun and many other political and religious figures and family members were set to receive the heroes. The scene at the airport illustrated a new phase Lebanon has entered since the formation of the national unity government as politicians put aside their differences to mark Lebanon’s new victory.
Four helicopters landed at the airport at 20:00. President Michel Suleiman welcomed the heroes and delivered a speech praising Al-Redwan Operation. “Your return brightens the resistance of Lebanon and the Lebanese and underlines your country’s adherence to its citizens and its readiness to sacrifice for its rights. Liberation will remain incomplete as long as Israel occupies our land with mines and cluster bombs. I remind you that Lebanon has the right to regain its occupied territories with every available and legitimate means as stipulated in international laws. This right, we will not give up,” President Suleiman stressed.
The five heroes then entered to a special hall to rejoice with their families. The reunion was very sentimental especially between Kintar and his mother and brother who was a baby when Samir was jailed in Israel.
In the meantime, hundreds of thousands of people gathered at the Raya playground in Dahye to mark the day of victory and salute the orchestrator of the Al-Redwan Operation Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, who will deliver a speech to hail the success of the operation (named after martyr Imad Moghniyeh or Hajj Redwan) in closing the prisoners file with the Zionist entity.
At an earlier stage, Hezbollah official Wafiq Safa unveiled the fate of the two Israeli soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev and handed the ICRC their bodies in two coffins.
Israel had positively identified the bodies of the dead soldiers, public radio said.
According to unconfirmed reports, they will visit the grave of martyr Redwan upon their arrival to the southern suburb.
Celebratory banners and flags were flying along the main coastal highway from the border with occupied Palestine in Naqura to Lebanon's southern port city of Sidon and the cabinet has declared Wednesday a national holiday.
Hezbollah had earlier received the bodies of twelve martyrs including 8 Islamic Resistance martyrs who fell during confrontations with Israeli occupation soldiers in Lebanon in 2006. The other four bodies are for martyr Dalal Moghrabi and three of her comrades who carried out a heroic operation in the late 70's inside occupied territories.
Draped in Lebanese and Palestinian flags, the caskets of the martyrs were given a red carpet welcome. Lebanese, Palestinian and Hezbollah flag holders and the families of the martyrs as well as Hezbollah officials and representatives of other parties welcomed the martyrs as an Islamic Resistance unit gave a military salute to their brothers in citizenship, religion and arms.
The UN-brokered swap, which was given final approval by the Israeli cabinet on Tuesday, is the eighth between Israel and Hezbollah since 1991. |
No comments:
Post a Comment