Min. Sheetrit: Hezbollah chief Nasrallah is a doomed man
By Haaretz Service
Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah is a doomed man who is no better than Al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden, Minister Meir Sheetrit (Kadima) said Friday.
"I guess that if they can get to Nasrallah - and I hope they get to him ultimately - he is certainly, in my opinion, doomed," Sheetrit told Israel Radio in response to a question about whether the Israel Defense Forces plans to assassinate the Hezbollah leader.
Early Friday, Israel Air Force planes hit a Hezbollah stronghold where the army said Hezbollah leaders, including Nasrallah, are located on a regular basis. In addition, an IDF official said the army was planning Friday to bomb Hezbollah headquarters in south Beirut, where Nasrallah has his office and residence.
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"Nasrallah is a first-degree terrorist," said Sheetrit. "There's no difference between him and bin Laden or any other arch-terrorist that the world is looking for. And if Israel can lay its hands on him, it will be outstanding, or capture him and put him on trial - that's even better. And if not, then bring the law to him."
The IDF said it was not hunting Nasrallah specifically, but did not rule out the possibility that he could be a target.
"I wouldn't say that the IDF is pursuing Nasrallah," IDF spokeswoman Miri Regev told Israel Radio on Friday. "The IDF is pursuing, or the IDF will harm, anyone who uses terror to target the State of Israel and its citizens."
GOC Northern Command Major General Udi Adam also did not rule out an operation targeting Nasrallah, saying: "All operations are legitimate to wipe out terror."
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