Men, women and children dressed in black massed on Beirut's southern suburbs, while Hezbollah supporters carrying banners marched in procession.

The banners carried slogans that read: "We will not be humiliated". Hezbollah supporters also blocked suburban roads, chanting "Death to America, Death to Israel".

Witnesses said Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was walking among the crowds in his first public appearance in months.

Ashura marks the death of Imam Hussain, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), in AD 680.  -Agencies