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Former Hezbollah deputy chief Imad Mughniyeh. (Reuters)
Last update - 17:35 18/11/2008
Israel fears Hezbollah may try to 'settle score' over Mughniyeh
By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel, Lebanon 

Israel believes Hezbollah may try a terror attack against Israel in order to "settle accounts" over the assassination of second-in-command Imad Mughniyeh. Hezbollah blames Israel for Mughniyeh's death in Damascus in February.

Lebanon on Wednesday dashed Israel's hopes that Beirut would follow Damascus in beginning peace talks with Israel, saying that Israel must withdraw from what Beirut considers its occupied land.

"There are pending bilateral issues between Lebanon and Israel which are governed by international resolutions which Israel must respect ... and which cannot be the object of political negotiations," a government statement issued Wednesday said.
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"Lebanon seeks to enforce these two decisions completely especially regarding an end to the occupation of the Shaba Farms...."

The statement said that once Israel withdrew from Lebanese land, Lebanon got back its prisoners and received maps of land mines and cluster bombs which were used in previous wars, "a truce agreement between Lebanon and Israel will be in effect." Lebanon's response came after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the cabinet earlier this week that he hoped Lebanon would consider talks with Israel. Israel and Syria have been holding indirect talks under Turkish auspices. Additional meetings are scheduled to be held in Turkey later this week.

The caretaker Lebanese government said Israel must withdraw from the disputed Shaba Farms area, in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions. The site, a small area in the foothills of the Golan Heights, is considered Lebanese by Beirut, but the United Nations says it is Syrian land. Israel took over the area in the 1967 Six-Day War, a move not recognized by the international community.

Concerns of a Hezbollah action are increasing in part because of estimates that the organization will try to counter critics in Lebanon for its use of arms against its political opponents by attacking Israel.

One scenario is a hit against an Israeli public figure, particularly someone with a defense background. The military is particularly concerned with attacks on officers, and security for high-ranking officers has been increased recently. It is considered likely Hezbollah would consider such an assassination an appropriate response to the assassination of Mughniyeh.

Last month, Hezbollah gained an impressive political victory in Lebanon, crowning a sympathizer (former chief of staff Michel Suleiman) president and bolstering its presence in the cabinet to acquire a veto on matters of state. However, senior military intelligence officials believe the way Hezbollah garnered that victory could lead to its violent attack against Israel. This opinion has been expressed in a number of recent discussions, including an intelligence review presented to Barak.

In previous years, particularly ahead of the Second Lebanon War in the summer of 2006, Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah vowed not to use "the weapon of resistance" for internal Lebanese political purposes, and that armed struggle would only be for "liberation" against Israel. That was one of Nasrallah's arguments against the disarming of Hezbollah, as opposed to other ethnic militias operating in Lebanon.

But last month Hezbollah used arms against its opponents within Lebanon, mostly from the anti-Syrian camp. Deaths in clashes lead to sharp criticism of Nasrallah and could motivate him to approve action against Israel on the northern border.

In addition, although the incident is no longer making headlines in Israel the intelligence community believes Hezbollah is still seeking revenge for the killing of Mughniyeh, which it attributes to Israel's Mossad. The military alert declared at the time is still in effect and various security measures are being implemented on the northern border and at potential Israeli targets worldwide.

Alerts have even been heightened recently, despite progress in indirect talks between Israel and Hezbollah regarding a prisoner exchange as well as recent reciprocal gestures which included the return to Lebanon of Nissim Nassar, an Israeli citizen who recently completed a prison sentence in Israel after being convicted of spying for Hezbollah.

Related articles:
  • ANALYSIS / Nasrallah threatened punishment for Mughniyah, not revenge
  • Syrian FM: Israel gained most from Mughniyah's assassination
  • Hezbollah becoming more visible in West Bank after Mughniyah death
  • News / Diplomatic crisis erupts in Arab states over Mughniyah killing
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      1.   america killed mughniyeh and he`s burning in hell with all his 02:49  |  terrornator 12/06/08
      2.   The game is up for israel 02:58  |  Chris Linthwaite 12/06/08
      3.   clearly israel benefited from killing both... 03:09  |  bashar 12/06/08
      4.   They should Just assassinate an Israel Leader. Maybe Barak? 03:28  |  POP 12/06/08
      5.   Chris Linthwaite....have you heard of the 03:38  |  Lynn 12/06/08
      6.   Lynn 5 03:57  |  ChanahS 12/06/08
      7.   Chris linthwaite-the game is up 04:02  |  Edifice 12/06/08
      8.   People, When Did Evidence of Israel`s Involvement Surface? 04:02  |  Natallie Durson 12/06/08
      9.   When was last Linthwaite thought Debkafile was good information? 04:07  |  bashar 12/06/08
      10.   POP #4 `They should Just assassinate an Israel Leader.` 04:10  |  Colin Wright 12/06/08
      11.   POP 04:46  |  TonyL 12/06/08
      12.   Wow, I made myself sound like a violent nutjob 05:08  |  Colin Wright 12/06/08
      13.   "Lebanon seeks to enforce these two decisions..." 05:10  |  Akiva P 12/06/08
      14.   #2,Chrissy 05:18  |  JTA 12/06/08
      15.   LET`S SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT 05:19  |  Arik Silverman 12/06/08
      16.   The islamic "mind" lacks introspecton; self-criticism. 05:28  |  Akiva P 12/06/08
      17.   The Shebaa Farms 05:33  |  Jeff Northridge 12/06/08
      18.   Hezbollah 05:39  |  Bruce Rubin 12/06/08
      19.   Bashar#3 - Clearly Syria gained from killing both 05:40  |  William 12/06/08
      20.   The Saudis Did It 05:41  |  George Bell 12/06/08
      21.   Bashar#9 - you never needed Chris` help 05:43  |  William 12/06/08
      22.   This can`t be from Fuhrer Durson#8 05:46  |  William 12/06/08
      23.   No return of land, no negotiation with terrorists 06:01  |  B 12/06/08
      24.   zionist is nothing. 07:11  |  farrokh 12/06/08
      25.   We should beat the Hezbullah to the ground 07:17  |  Jean Van Daem 12/06/08
      26.   SPIN to start another WAR? 07:22  |  candida 12/06/08
      27.   What a non story! 07:34  |  Rowan 12/06/08
      28.   Lebanon Hhasn`t learned A Damm Thing 07:45  |  Dish It Out 12/06/08
      29.   Lebanon and its moving demands 08:34  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 12/06/08
      30.   Chris you`re reaching. 08:36  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 12/06/08
      31.   The height of chutzpah: ` international resolutions` 08:39  |  Dan 12/06/08
      32.   Chris Linthwaite, the game is just beginning 08:41  |  Dan 12/06/08
      33.   #17 Hmmm, a few corrections for Jeff..... 08:42  |  Johnboy 12/06/08
      34.   MY ADVICE TO ISRAEL 08:52  |  indrajaya 12/06/08
      35.   There is a new Sheriff in Town 09:10  |  Momo 12/06/08
      36.   #12 Colin Wright - just a FREUDIAN SLIP, that`s all. 09:19  |  CK Tan 12/06/08
      37.   #15 Arik Silverman 09:20  |  MR 12/06/08
      38.   Chris linthwaite # 2. 09:34  |  David Nigel Braham 12/06/08
      39.   OBVIOUSLY Arabs need no evidence to kill. 09:44  |  PETER SM 12/06/08
      40.   Pardon me, but Syria Killed him. 09:46  |  Michael 12/06/08
      41.   fair enough 10:16  |  Palestinian 12/06/08
      42.   PALESTINIAN Why don`t Syrians just hand over the title 11:50  |  PETER SM 12/06/08
      43.   THE INCREDIBLE LIGHTNESS OF BLEATING 12:56  |  Brant 12/06/08
      44.   "Israel must withdraw from the disputed Shabaa Farms" 13:01  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 12/06/08
      45.   "a truce agreement between Lebanon and Israel will be in effect" 13:08  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 12/06/08
      46.   PRISONERS 13:12  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 12/06/08
      47.   "Hezbollah may try to `settle score` over Mughnieh" 13:19  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 12/06/08
      48.   Mughnieh, the arch terrorist 13:23  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 12/06/08
      49.   Mufti and Multi Tasking 13:57  |  Ronnie Wolman 12/06/08
      50.   Don`t waste time on peace talks with Lebanon 13:58  |  Tosefta 12/06/08
      51.   Why wasnt invistigation report published? 14:58  |  Free Gilad Shalit 12/06/08
      52.   israel FEARS?!?! 15:13  |  oyvey 12/06/08
      53.   Well BRING IT DOWN then! 15:23  |  Esther 12/06/08
      54.   Johnboy # 33 Not So Fast (part 1) 15:34  |  Jeff Northridge 12/06/08
      55.   # 3 bashar...clearly you are very wrong 15:36  |  Lynn 12/06/08
      56.   # 6 Chanah S....it was my pleasure 15:37  |  Lynn 12/06/08
      57.   Do as Israel does: Assassinate Assassinate Occupy 15:39  |  POP 12/06/08
      58.   Johnboy....the UN cartographer 15:44  |  Lynn 12/06/08
      59.   # 40 Michael...exactly!!!!! 15:50  |  Lynn 12/06/08
      60.   # 51 Free Gilad Shalit......why would Syria 15:53  |  Lynn 12/06/08
      61.   Jeff Northridge....it isn`t finished as of yet 16:22  |  Lynn 12/06/08
      62.   GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEADS;MERT/CLONES;THERE WILL BE NO PEACE NOT 16:24  |  glenna 12/06/08
      63.   Tosefta...Hezbollah doesn`t give one damn 16:25  |  Lynn 12/06/08
      64.   Johnboy # 33 Not So Fast (part 2) 16:28  |  Jeff Northridge 12/06/08
      65.   easily done. Israel get the UN to take over and then proceed 16:49  |  J 12/06/08
      66.   Question to Bashar # 9 17:03  |  Mustafa 12/06/08
      67.   No chiken mentality accepted here 17:08  |  Ordallie Nutcase 12/06/08
      68.   # 41 Palestinian 17:12  |  Mustafa