Lebanon Declares State Holiday Marking Return of Prisoners

[ AP] Aron Heller - Moshe Sasson felt the gun pressed against his head, a Lebanese assailant poised to shoot, when the lights in the hall of his apartment building suddenly went out, allowing him to escape and take cover under a car. The gunman, Samir Kuntar, went on to kill three other people in one of the most notorious attacks in Israeli history. Three decades later, he is to be freed in exchange for two Israeli soldiers whose capture set off a month-long Mideast war. Kuntar is expected to receive a hero's welcome when he returns to Lebanon. The Lebanese government has announced that Wednesday will be a national holiday "to celebrate the liberation of prisoners from the jails of the Israeli enemy and the return of the remains of martyrs."


2008-07-16 01:00:00

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