Qassem says Hezbollah ready to resist Israel even if all it has is 'a piece of wood'
Hezbollah leader Sheikh Naim Qassem has said that the group is ready to resist Israel even if all it has "is a piece of wood".
"When we say we are ready, we mean that we are ready for defense, not to start a war or initiate it. But if a battle is imposed on us, even if all we have is a piece of wood, we will not allow the Israelis to pass," he said Sunday in an interview with al-Manar, adding that "resistance is a reaction not an action."
Qassem hoped that the Lebanese state would reach a plan to confront Israel "other than the diplomatic plan they are talking about" and said that Hezbollah wants to cooperate with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam but that he should leave aside the thorny issues that might cause a crisis in the country.
Under U.S. pressure and fearing an escalation of Israeli strikes, the Lebanese government had moved to begin disarming Hezbollah, a plan the movement and its allies oppose.
Salam last week said that diplomacy to end the Israeli violations has failed despite the government's efforts but that he sees no other options, as Israel intensified its strikes on south and east Lebanon despite a ceasefire reached almost a year ago. Israel has also kept troops deployed in five border points in south Lebanon it deems "strategic".
Qassem said the French-U.S. ceasefire monitoring committee has also failed to stop the Israeli violations. He stressed that Israel needs no pretext to attack and that Hezbollah's arms are a reaction to Israel's occupation not vice versa. He told al-Manar that the Israeli army has also been striking Syria where there is no resistance. "What is their pretext there", he rhetorically asked.
Qassem said Hezbollah shares with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri the same commitment to protect Lebanon and the resistance, and praised President Joseph Aoun's "positive attitude" in dealing with Hezbollah's disarmament. "Our coordination with him is essential, necessary, and ongoing," he said.
Qassem also lauded the Lebanese Army, describing it as "a national army."
As part of last year's ceasefire deal, Israeli troops were to withdraw from southern Lebanon and Hezbollah was to pull back north of the Litani River and dismantle any military infrastructure in the south.
According to the agreement, only the Lebanese army and UNIFIL are to be deployed in the south of the country but despite the terms of the truce, Israel has kept its troops in the five border points.
Source: Naharnet
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://prod.naharnet.com/stories/en/316081 |