News

It was a day of great emotion on both sides of the Lebanese-Israeli border.

In Israel it was a day of grief and anger but in Lebanon triumph and defiance have dominated.

That sense of victory was particularly strong at the Hezbollah rally in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

Tens of thousands of people were packed into a square carrying the yellow and green flags of Hezbollah, as well as the Lebanese national flag.

The loyalty of the Hezbollah faithful was rewarded by a rare public appearance of the leader of the movement, Hassan Nasrallah, who was there to greet the five militants who were released by Israel earlier in the day.