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Hezbollah supporter waving a poster showing pictures of the leaders of Hezbollah, Syria and Iran in Beirut in September 2006. (AP)
Last update - 22:01 05/03/2008
Hezbollah: We're ready for war with Israel, but we won't start it
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: hezbollah, united nations 

Hezbollah is ready for another war with Israel but it will not start one, the deputy leader of the Lebnon-based guerilla group said in an interview published Wednesday, a day after Israel told the European Union its intelligence showed Iran was rearming the group via Turkey.

In an interview with the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Akhbar daily, Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Kassem warned that Israel will pay a high price in any future war.

His comments followed last month's threat by Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah to retaliate with an open war against Israel for the assassination of one of his top commanders, Imad Mughniyeh, who was killed on February 12 in a car bomb in the Syrian capital, Damascus.
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Hezbollah and Iran blamed the assassination on Israel, which denied any role.

"Hezbollah cannot confirm [that there will be war] because it does not want to initiate it," Al-Akhbar quoted Kassem as saying. "The Israelis know they have to pay a high price in any war," he added.

Kassem also told the paper Hezbollah is well-prepared to face an Israeli, American and international war, possibly in reference to the recent deployment of U.S. warships off Lebanon's Mediterranean coast; a move the U.S. has said was aimed at protecting its interests in the region.

MI: Iran is arming Hezbollah with missiles via Turkey

Iran is arming Hezbollah with missiles sent via Turkey, according to intelligence received in Israel. Turkish authorities are unaware of the arms shipments, which are in violation of Resolution 1701.

A senior Israeli government source said Tuesday that Brigadier General Yossi Beiditz, head of the IDF research department, last week told European Union ambassadors in a briefing that Iran continues to transfer arms and equipment to Hezbollah, in spite of Tehran's denials.

Some of the weapons include long-range missiles that are being transfered through flights using Turkey's airspace, as well as overland though Turkey, under the guise of civilian cargo. From Turkey, the missiles are transfered to Syria and then Lebanon. Turkey has not permitted the use of its territory for such transfers.

The same source said that according to Beiditz, some of the missiles Iran transfered to Hezbollah have a maximum range of 300 kilometers, "capable of reaching the Dimona area from Beirut." According to intelligence so far available to Israel, the maximum range of missiles in Hezbollah's arsenal had been 250 kilometers.

Beiditz said that the missiles currently in Hezbollah's possession are more accurate and capable of carrying larger warheads.

There was no comment from the Turkish embassy in Tel Aviv concerning this information. However, a Turkish source noted that the embassy has not received any information or inquiries from official Israeli sources regarding the matter of weapons transfers to Hezbollah crossing through Turkish territory.

According to the source, Turkey has "adhered to all international decisions, with an emphasis on the arms embargo to Lebanon." He added, however, that Turkey and Israel share intelligence information on other levels, outside the embassy.

In June 2006 Hezbollah seized two Israel Defense Forces troops in a cross border raid, provoking Israel to attack Lebanon. More than 1,000 Lebanese and 159 Israelis were killed in the ensuing 34-day Second Lebanon War.

A 13,500-strong United Nations force and 15,000 Lebanese troops were deployed along the Lebanese-Israeli border to monitor a UN cease-fire after the war, which Kassem said has not hindered Hezbollah's preparedness to fight Israel.

Earlier this week, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reported to the Security Council Israeli evaluations that Hezbollah is rearming and has an arsenal including 10,000 long-range rockets and 20,000 short-range rockets in southern Lebanon.

While Ban's statement did not confirm Israel's claim, the UN chief reiterated his concern about Hezbollah's public statements and persistent reports pointing to breaches of UN Resolution 1701, which ended the Second Lebanon War and bans weapons transfers to the Shi'ite militia.

The report called on Syria and Iran to behave responsibly and in line with the embargo on exporting arms to Lebanon, an was also critical of Israel's intelligence-gathering overflights in Lebanon. Ban expressed concern at the anger that these flights spark.

"The repeated violations, on the part of Israel, undermine the credibility of UNIFIL and of the Lebanese army in the eyes of the local population and is preventing them from carrying out their role," the report states.

According to the Israeli government source, during his briefing to EU ambassadors, Beiditz said that the official position of Israel is that the intelligence-gathering flights are of particular importance, and he showed videos filmed by various aircraft documenting the smuggling of missiles from Syria into Lebanon.

"Without the overflights it will be difficult for Israel to pinpoint the launchers, the Hezbollah arms depots and the smuggling," the source said.

Ban also expressed concern over Nasrallah's threats of open war against Israel. In a statement released late Tuesday, Hezbollah criticized Ban's report, saying it lacked objectivity.

In May 2007, Turkey confiscated a load of weapons that included 300 rockets, transferred from Iran by train through Turkey. The cargo was registered as "cleaning materials."

During the Second Lebanon War, the Turkish media reported that Turkish authorities had forced two Iranian aircraft, on their way to Syria through Turkish airspace, to land because of suspicions that they were carrying unauthorized arms shipments. No weapons were found on board.


Related articles:
  • UN chief: Syria, Iran must honor embargo on arming Lebanese militias
  • UN Security Council Resolution 1701 (August 2007)
  • Report: Nasrallah admits Iran supplies Hezbollah with arms
  • Syria, Iran intelligence services aided Hezbollah during war
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      1.   Turkiye 03:52  |  Fritz 05/03/08
      2.   israel should tell iran the next time hesbullah attacks israel 03:52  |  terrornator 05/03/08
      3.   UNIFIL is very useful... not ! 04:14  |  Charles IV 05/03/08
      4.   Bomb Ankara ASAP 04:35  |  Igor 05/03/08
      5.   WHY RESPECT UN RESOLUTIONS? 04:40  |  BOB KING THE ZIONIST 05/03/08
      6.   U.N. May Rue the Day It Didn`t Do the Job 04:45  |  Brad 05/03/08
      7.   "... intelligence so far available to Israel..." 05:35  |  Maureen Ann 05/03/08
      8.   OUTTRAGEOUS PROTEST!!! 05:40  |  Samy 05/03/08
      9.   ISRAEL IS BIG FOOL in front of the WORLD 05:41  |  walli 05/03/08
      10.   ISRAELI LIES JUST KEEP ON COMING 05:45  |  BigBadJohn 05/03/08
      11.   Go ahead try to drag Turkey in to it again RIGHT ??? 06:55  |  M. S. 05/03/08
      12.   This ignorant man made on to your comment section 07:00  |  m,T 05/03/08
      13.   Time to do OOPS on Iran 07:01  |  leo 05/03/08
      14.   Iran! who? 07:01  |  Mr.Smith 05/03/08
      15.   # 4 are you drunk 07:13  |  Salem 05/03/08
      16.   I Recognize The Armenian Holocaust! 07:19  |  Yosemite 05/03/08
      17.   What good luck 07:23  |  Gordon 05/03/08
      18.   what a load of BS 07:29  |  VIPER 05/03/08
      19.   #6, BRAD, no brains at all, ISRAEL VS THE WORLD NOW 07:39  |  VIPER 05/03/08
      20.   hezbolah is capable 08:01  |  AVI 05/03/08
      21.   UNIFIL has absolutely failed in its mandate 08:01  |  Proud Israeli 05/03/08
      22.   Israel Better Have Daisy Cutters 08:02  |  Ron 05/03/08
      23.   so what u damn whiners, usa is arming you 08:04  |  immortal 05/03/08
      24.   Overflights will continue until they return our hostages 08:28  |  Dan 05/03/08
      25.   Boycott for Boycott 08:31  |  Don Chennel 05/03/08
      26.   igor #4 08:35  |  anti - igor 05/03/08
      27.   Why the fuzz? Israel is world champion violating... 08:36  |  Dutch Dirk 05/03/08
      28.   RE: #5 - Bob-Zionist King 08:52  |  Igor 05/03/08
      29.   Another Iran-Contra ??? 09:30  |  isratinian 05/03/08
      30.   Unconfirmed lies of HAaretza can damage Israeli-Turkey relations 09:35  |  Philip 05/03/08
      31.   UN=Underpowered Nobodies 09:38  |  Leor 05/03/08
      32.   What a cheering start to the day 09:58  |  Clickfool 05/03/08
      33.   And USA arming Israel 10:07  |  Dav 05/03/08
      34.   4 Igor - War With NATO? 10:12  |  Mark of Lewiston 05/03/08
      35.   AND VIA ISRAEL !!!!!!!!! 10:52  |  DAVID 05/03/08
      36.   #12, the fool is back 10:57  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 05/03/08
      37.   # 4 igor 10:58  |  Axel 05/03/08
      38.   # 2 terrornator 10:59  |  Axel 05/03/08
      39.   THE TERRORISTS OF TURKEY TRAINED IN PALESTINIE CAMPS ? 10:59  |  what is truth 05/03/08
      40.   SO WHAT, BABY? 11:01  |  indrajaya 05/03/08
      41.   Well, gosh, Israel finds it useful to overfly another country? 11:18  |  Johnboy 05/03/08
      42.   gobble gobble 11:22  |  Mark Katzman 05/03/08
      43.   #2 Terrornator 11:33  |  Paul Wood 05/03/08
      44.   @ 6 army should be clean but not the Muslims 11:36  |  Karl 05/03/08
      45.   For Cipora # 22 11:38  |  Clickfool 05/03/08
      46.   Bomb Petrograd # 4 11:39  |  Itzek 05/03/08
      47.   UNIFIL`s mandate 11:39  |  Paul Wood 05/03/08
      48.   #23, Axel 11:40  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 05/03/08
      49.   BOB KING THE ZIONIST LIVING IN FLORIDA 11:40  |  Paul Wood 05/03/08
      50.   Clickfool what if Dimona is bombed won`t the winds reach England 11:42  |  DJ O Hannah 05/03/08
      51.   WHAT`S WRONG WITH PREPARING TO DEFEND YOUR PEOPLE? 11:43  |  TripleJump 05/03/08
      52.   ISRAEL WANTS MONOPOLY OF WEAPONS IN AREA! 11:44  |  Serdook Lhend 05/03/08
      53.   #9 Ron 11:44  |  Paul Wood 05/03/08
      54.   #9 Ron 11:44  |  Paul Wood 05/03/08
      55.   @ 16 Turkey may be a real ally but not Erdogan´s Turkey. Ma y I 11:44  |  Karl 05/03/08
      56.   anyone up for joining me in my underground bunker? 11:44  |  danalogue 05/03/08
      57.   Strange!... ISRAEL FIRST VIOLATOR OF UN RESOLUTION 11:46  |  Rusana 05/03/08
      58.   Here we go again... with zionist PROPAGANDA 11:46  |  James 05/03/08
      59.   israel should tell iran the next time hesbullah attacks israel 11:48  |  Fritz 05/03/08
      60.   Look who is talking! Israel use UNCONVENTIONAL weapons on Gazans 11:48  |  Samuel 05/03/08
      61.   #18 - only you would call that "cheering" 11:51  |  Steve 05/03/08
      62.   so what...US is arming israel 11:51  |  shah waliullah 05/03/08
      63.   Boycott for Boycott 11:56  |  Fritz 05/03/08
      64.   # 1 W"ell, the roquets are supposed to land in Israel anyway.. 12:00  |  Kris 05/03/08
      65.   Cut the Iran`s head off before it`s too late. 12:05  |  Fortuna Benmayor 05/03/08
      66.   Question to Clickfool 12:15  |  The Judge 05/03/08
      67.   Iran Also arming Hamas and Fatah via Egypt-Sinaii-Gaza . 12:17  |  Joseph . E 05/03/08
      68.   Ah, well... 12:35  |  Esther 05/03/08
      69.