AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
In Lebanon, Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel have been trading attacks across the two countries' border since the Gaza war began. And it's not just Hezbollah in the fight in Lebanon. NPR's Jane Arraf reports from the funeral of a Lebanese Hamas commander killed by Israel.
JANE ARRAF, BYLINE: We've come to the Beqaa Valley for this Hamas funeral in a village just a few miles from Lebanon's wine estates.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #1: (Singing in non-English language).
ARRAF: It's a martyr's funeral, deeply sad, of course, for those close to him but overlaid with celebration, as martyrdom is considered a certain route to paradise. The music is inspirational songs about the fight for liberation.
There are women on the side throwing rice because it is seen as a celebration with the commander likened to a groom on his wedding day. Those gunshots - that's celebratory gunfire.
We walk up to the mosque along a winding path now covered with rose petals.
(SOUNDBITE OF CHURCH BELLS TOLLING)
ARRAF: There are church bells tolling. It's a Muslim funeral. Hamas is a conservative Sunni Muslim group. But this town is both Muslim and Christian. And Mohammed Jbara was a son of this community, says a town official.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #2: (Vocalizing).
ARRAF: Hezbollah, Shia Muslim and Iran-backed, is more powerful than the Lebanese Army. It began attacking Israel after the start of the Gaza War last October to support Hamas. The Lebanese wing of Hamas and a related group which Jbara also fought for, Al-Jama'a al-Islamiyah, joined the cross-border fighting.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #3: (Non-English language spoken).
ARRAF: Jbara was killed in a targeted Israeli drone strike while he was driving in the Eastern Beqaa Valley. Israel said he was responsible for missile attacks targeting Northern Israel. He was the most senior Lebanese commander with Hamas to die in the fighting. In a recorded message, Hamas leader Khaled Mashal praised Jbara and Lebanon for the sacrifices.
KHALED MASHAL: (Through interpreter) This is the blessed convoy of martyrs of Lebanon, whose pure blood mixed with the pure blood of Palestinians, on the path to Palestine, Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, on the path of honor and dignity for Palestine and Lebanon.
ARRAF: The war in Gaza and the fight against Israel has brought Sunni and Shia armed groups closer together in Lebanon and in other countries. Hezbollah says it will take its lead from Hamas leadership fighting in Gaza in agreeing to a cease-fire. Many Lebanese fear the fighting on the border in support of the Palestinians could drag the fragile country into war. But on the edge of the funeral crowd, a group of young women tells us there's still strong support for Palestine.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: I definitely know that our country is a very big help for Palestinians, and we try our best just to help them.
ARRAF: That's a student from Florida visiting Lebanon for the summer. She asks us not to use her name because she would get in trouble in the U.S. for her prominence.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #4: We stand with Palestine every day, every second. Our hearts are with Palestine, with all the children, all the mothers, with all the men, the women, everybody. Our heart goes out to them, and that's the reason why we are here today.
(SOUNDBITE OF METAL CLANKING)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON #5: (Non-English language spoken).
ARRAF: Mourners took Jbara's body from a plain, white coffin and placed it in the grave wrapped in a white shroud. He had five children. His family and friends stood near a wall next to the mosque, accepting condolences from a long line of people.
A relative who did not want to give his name for security reasons said Jbara had been respected in the village and his absence would be felt. In this quiet village in the Beqaa Valley, far from Gaza, there's a spark of the fight for Palestinian liberation extinguished. But people here say the flame will still burn. Jane Arraf, NPR News, Qaraoun, Lebanon. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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