JABAL AL-RAFIE, September 13, 2008 (AFP) - Hezbollah staged a mock battle on Saturday night to reenact the death of Hadi Nasrallah, son of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who died in a military operation against Israel 11 years ago.

About 100 fighters took part, some acting as Israeli troops and others filling the role of their own Shiite militant group's guerrillas.

Loudspeakers blasted out the sounds of planes, helicopters and bombs on loud speakers. The fighters used fire crackers and shot blanks in the mock battle in Jabal al-Rafie, in the Iqleem al-Tufah region in southern Lebanon.

Hadi was 19 years old when he was killed. Hezbollah obtained his remains in a swap with Israel in June 1998.

Dozens of spectators were given flowers which were tossed onto and covered the body of the actor who played Hadi at the end of the show.

First Lieutenant Jawad Azar died the same day as Hadi did in an Israeli airstrike and his pictures hung throughout the area, as did those of Hadi with his father.

Imad Awada, an organiser of the event, told AFP Azar's inclusion was to 'affirm Hezbollah's good relations with the Lebanese army.'

'As Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah said, 'Hezbollah and the Lebanese army are two dear brothers and nobody can come between them.''

The exercise comes just over two weeks after a Lebanese army helicopter was downed less than five kilometres (three miles) away in the town of Sejoud. An officer on board was killed.

It also comes just three days before Lebanon's rival political leaders are set to meet for a national dialogue to discuss a 'national defense strategy' that seeks to define the relationship between the state and armed groups such as Hezbollah.