Crowds flock to Beirut for Hizbollah "victory rally"

BEIRUT, Sep 22 (Reuters) Tens of thousands of Hizbollah supporters headed for the group's Beirut stronghold today, obeying a call by Hizbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah for a mass rally to mark the ''divine victory'' over Israel.

Organisers expect hundreds of thousands of people from across the country to attend the rally in a district flattened by Israeli bombing during the 34-day war, but have not said whether Nasrallah himself will appear.

Hours before the rally began today evening, thousands had gathered in the Shi'ite Muslim suburb of south Beirut.

''God was generous to us and granted us this victory against our enemy. He was generous to us and gave us Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah so we come here to celebrate with him,'' Hussein Kaddouh, 29, from the southern village of Yater, told Reuters.

''We are willing to respond to Sayyed Nasrallah's call with our blood, children and everything that we own.'' Hundreds set out on foot yesterday from Shi'ite villages in south Lebanon battered by Israel's bombardment and invasion.

The Beirut crowds carried pictures of Nasrallah and yellow Hizbollah flags with the message ''Here we are Nasrallah''.

Many wore yellow T-shirts and chanted pro-Hizbollah slogans. Some said they were there not only to celebrate but also in the hope of seeing the charismatic Nasrallah.

''I came to take a close-up glimpse of Sayyed. This is Lebanon's real independence day and we want to be with him,'' said Zahra Soueidan, from the southern village of Bayada.

WITHDRAWAL DELAYED It had been expected to coincide with the final withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon, but Israel's army chief said on Wednesday the pullout might take a few more days.

Israeli forces have been gradually leaving territory they captured in fighting that began after Hizbollah guerrillas seized two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid.

Hizbollah has declared it won the war which killed nearly 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 157 Israelis.

''I call on you all to participate in a victory rally, your victory ... in the southern suburb, the suburb of honour, glory, faith, steadfastness and victory for the whole country,'' Nasrallah said on Hizbollah's Al-Manar Television.

Israeli warplanes pounded Hizbollah strongholds during the war and bombarded bridges and roads across the country, forcing almost a million people to flee their homes. Hizbollah fired nearly 4,000 rockets into northern Israel.

Under an August truce which ended the fighting, United Nations reinforcements and Lebanese army forces are deploying in the south to monitor the ceasefire and try to assert the authority of the Beirut government.

But Nasrallah has said his fighters remain on the border with Israel and Hizbollah has dismissed demands that it disarm.

Nasrallah has not appeared in public since a July 12 news conference to announce the capture of the two Israeli soldiers, and it was not clear if he would appear at the rally.

REUTERS DKA BD1604