Grief and Pride as Sea of Mourners Bids Farewell to Slain al-Manar Reporter
The northern Bekaa town of Shaath, al-Manar TV and Hizbullah bid farewell Tuesday to slain reporter Hamza al-Hajj Hassan, in an emotional funeral that was attended by thousands of mourners.
The reporter's coffin, draped in a yellow Hizbullah flag, moved slowly from the Dar al-Hikma Hospital in Baalbek to the cemetery of the town. Some mourners fired their machineguns in the air, despite calls to the contrary from organizers and the journalist's uncle.
Simultaneously, Hajj Hassan's relatives, friends and a number of Hizbullah supporters were gathering in Shaath to bid him the last goodbye.
As the marchers moved forward slowly, women and the reporter's mother and sister broke in tears and loud speakers played Hizbullah chants and religious hymns.
The mourners shouted defiant slogans, vowing to continue the path of “resistance and jihad.”
The 27-year-old Hajj Hassan, who joined al-Manar's staff in 2009, was killed Monday along with cameraman Mohammed Mantash and technician Halim Allaw when their TV convoy came under gunfire in the Syrian Christian town of Maalula.
They were covering the Syrian army's recapture of the historic town from rebel hands.
After head of Hizbullah's politburo Sayyed Ibrahim Amin al-Sayyed prayed over his body, Hajj Hassan was laid to rest at Shaath's graveyard.
Meanwhile, the southern town of Kfarsir organized a funeral for cameraman Mohammed Mantash, while the technician Halim Allaw will be buried on Wednesday.
Al-Manar, which is owned by Hizbullah, said that the cars of its team were clearly marked with press signs, blaming “armed groups” for the attack.
The instrumental assistance of Hizbullah -- which has sent thousands of fighters into Syria -- has helped Syrian forces recapture most towns in the Qalamoun and Qusayr regions near the border with Lebanon.
Y.R.
M.T.
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