American Hizbollah fighter buried in Lebanon

YAROUN, Lebanon, Oct 3 (Reuters) Hizbollah today held a funeral for one of its Lebanese fighters who was also an American citizen, itnesses said.

Radwan Saleh, 35, was killed in July during a war between Israel and Hizbollah, sparked after the guerrilla group kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border raid.

Hizbollah members found Saleh's body on Sunday in the village of Maroun al-Ras, one of the last areas Israeli troops withdrew from in line with a U.N. resolution to end the war.

His wife and four children, who live between Lebanon and the United States, flew in from the United States for his funeral.

Hizbollah sources said Saleh joined the Iranian-backed guerrilla group in 2000. He lived in California with his wife and children until 1998 before moving to Lebanon.

He had been back to the US at least once since then, relatives said. Yaroun, the village that Saleh settled in, is home to around 3,000 Muslims and Christians.

REUTERS LL VC1832