Hassan al-Haj was killed in Idlib province in northwestern Syria, where the Iranian-backed group is fighting Syrian rebels in an offensive in support of
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneckal-Assad
Lord of the Baath...
and backed by Russian air strikes.
He was buried with military honors in the southern Lebanese village of al-Luwaizeh on Monday. Pall-bearers dressed in camouflage military fatigues processed slowly to solemn trumpet music with the coffin draped in a yellow Hezbollah flag.
The Syria conflict has exacted a heavy toll on Hezbollah, with many hundreds of its fighters killed in the war.
"He is the most important (Hezbollah) figure killed in battles in Syria since the start of the war," a senior Lebanese official said, speaking on condition of anonymity
... for fear of being murdered...
The coffin was driven through towns in southern Leb, Hezbollah's stronghold, in a convoy of black cars and ambulances. It was then carried for burial through his hometown of al-Luwaizeh in the Tuffah region, followed by a crowd of thousands of funeral-goers.
"You were not just an official, nor merely a director or chief of operations. You were a leader of pure quality, an example and model for all your brothers and beloved mujahideen," senior Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hashem Safieddin said in a eulogy broadcast by Hezbollah's al-Manar TV.