Fighters get a hero’s welcome in ‘free’ Ain Ibil Mohammed Zaatari Daily Star correspondent Dispelling fears of possible sectarian conflict following an Israeli withdrawal, resident of the Christian village of Ain Ibil in Bint Jbeil warmly welcomed a Hizbullah delegation who visited the village after its liberation. Throwing rice and rose petals, residents including village priest Emile Barakat welcomed the delegation headed by Sheikh Hassan Madih. Hizbullah members, out of respect for the residents’ feelings, refrained from planting party flags in the village. Barakat, who rushed to greet and kiss Madih, invited the delegation to a meeting at the village church. "Each one of us shares the common happiness of liberation and I’m here to reassure everyone in Ain Ibil by telling them that we’re one family," Madih said, adding that when the resistance fought Israel, it did so "for Lebanon and we retaliated for civilian deaths whether they were Muslim or Christian." In turn, Barakat, who continuously applauded Madih’s speech, said residents of Ain Ibil, which was occupied in 1978, had been impatiently awaiting the moment of liberation "for a long time." "And now it’s here," he said. DS 24/05/00