After swap, Israel fears Hezbollah will escalate tensions in North

Israel and Hezbollah completed the prisoner swap Wednesday: Hezbollah returned the bodies of abducted Israel Defense Forces soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, while Israel handed over terrorist Samir Kuntar and four Hezbollah militants, as well as 197 bodies.

Now that the exchange has taken place, the Israeli defense establishment is worried that Hezbollah may seek a calculated escalation along the Lebanese border, and try to disrupt Israel Air Force flyovers in Lebanese airspace.

Hezbollah secretary general Hassan Nasrallah ended his public reclusion for a few minutes Wednesday, appearing in person at the Beirut celebration for the freed prisoners. Nasrallah took the stage at the stadium in the city's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold. Appearing alongside Samir Kuntar, he declared that his organization would now try to free the Lebanese land still occupied by Israel.

"Our worry now is to free the rest of our lands ... protect our water and our sovereignty and our honor," he said, calling the prisoner release a victory for the resistance.

Nasrallah hinted that after examining the bodies Israel returned Wednesday, his organization will see whether more Lebanese whom Hezbollah believes Israel has are still missing.

Nasrallah then returned to his quarters in a secret location, to make a longer speech on video.

A Kuwaiti newspaper reported last week that Hezbollah has deployed sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles in the mountains in central Lebanon, in order to threaten IAF flights. Israeli intelligence sources said it appears the organization is looking for new excuses to clash with Israel, and that along with the fight for Shaba Farms (Mt. Dov), disrupting the flights could become another key area of operation. Until now, the IAF has enjoyed complete freedom of operation, which it used to collect intelligence.

Hezbollah identified this aerial freedom as its own weak spot - the IAF carried out attacks deep in Lebanon, and special forces reached the Lebanon Valley via helicopter.

Although senior military officers believe Israel still has substantial deterrent power over Hezbollah, they are concerned the organization is still seeking to "settle accounts" with Israel over the February assassination of Imad Mughniyah in Damascus. Hamas blames the Mossad for the killing. There are general terror alerts for Israel and Israeli targets abroad, and Canada last month reported it had arrested five Hezbollah members seeking to attack the Israeli embassy there.

Meanwhile, the Medical Corps experts who examined the bodies of Goldwasser and Regev determined they were killed during the abduction on July 12, 2006 or shortly thereafter. The experts' conclusion was similar to that of the missing soldiers unit, which stated a month after the abduction that one of the soldiers had died on the spot and the other was mortally wounded during the abduction.

Goldwasser, the patrol commander, was sitting in the passenger seat of the first Hummer that Hezbollah attacked. The militants fired anti-tank missiles at the Hummer from close range, in order to paralyze the patrol. Evidence on the site, as well as Wednesday's examination of the body, indicate that Goldwasser's seat took most of the damage and he was killed instantly. Regev, seated behind Goldwasser, was apparently also critically wounded by the anti-tank fire. The experts said Regev also may have been shot at close range by his kidnappers, possibly as soon as they reached the Hummer or when trying to escape from the burning vehicle.

The other two soldiers in the patrol have testified that they believed they saw the kidnappers pulling the two victims out of the jeep alive, but the army does not consider their testimony credible. The two fled the jeep after it was hit and hid in the bushes. One was seriously injured and the other suffered severe shell shock.

Hezbollah representatives Wednesday evaded questions regarding which of the soldiers was wounded and when. However, Hezbollah has promised to publicize a video of the kidnapping, which may shed more light on the sequence of events.

Also on Wednesday, Kuntar vowed to continue his 'resistance' against Israel, speaking at a Beirut rally welcoming his return and that of four Hezbollah men Israel released as part of a swap deal with the Lebanon-based guerilla group.

"I returned today from Palestine but believe me I will not return until I go back to Palestine," he told the roaring crowd. "I promise my people and dear ones in Palestine that I and my dear comrades in the valiant Islamic resistance are returning."