In the war-devastated southern Lebanese village of Aitaroun on Monday, residents marked the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr among their dead.

Relatives crowded the village's cemeteries to pray for the more than 100 residents, including fighters from Hezbollah, killed during the war between the militant group and Israel that ended with a fragile ceasefire in November.

"We defied the entire world by being here in Aitaroun to celebrate Eid with our martyrs," Siham Ftouni said near the grave of her son, a rescuer with an Islamic health organisation affiliated with Hezbollah.

"Their blood permitted us to come back to our village," she said.

During the war, Lebanese state media reported that Israeli troops used explosives in Aitaroun and two nearby villages to blow up houses. The........

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