Hassan Nasrallah
Photo: AFP
Hizbullah: We’ll disarm for guarantees
Nasrallah says Friday that he would be willing to disarm organization under the condition he receives security-related guarantees from a ‘trustworthy’ country or organization; however, he adds that group would not lay down its arms ‘as long as Israel continues conquering Lebanese lands and threatens the country’s security’
Hizbullah Chief Hassan Nasrallah said on Friday that he would be willing to disarm his organization under the condition he receives security-related guarantees from a ‘trustworthy’ country or organization, adding that the U.S. is not one of these countries.
Harsh Threats
By Reuters
Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah acknowledged Wednesday his organization had over 12,000 rockets capable of hitting the whole of northern Israel
In a special interview with the Al-Arabiya television network, Nasrallah said his organization would not disarm “as long as Israel continues conquering Lebanese lands and threatens the country’s security.”
He also addressed the international probe into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, saying, “We hope the investigative committee’s findings will be based on evidence, not political viewpoints.”
Nasrallah said Hizbullah would cooperate with the investigative committee, adding that suspicions regarding the organization’s involvement in the murder are a result of attempts by certain factors to complicate matters for the group after they have failed to disarm it.
Notably, U.N. Security Council Resolution 1559 calls for the disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias, in addition to a full Syrian withdrawal from the country.
Syria complied with the resolution and withdrew from Lebanon in April, but Hizbullah declared that it would continue to bear arms “as long as Israel maintains its control over the Sheba farms and threatens Lebanon’s security.”
The Palestinian militias in Lebanon have also rejected the idea of disarmament.
However, sources have hinted to the possibility that Hizbullah and the rest of the factions may agree to disarm. Reports on the Sheba farms said Israel would withdraw from the area in return for international guarantees and the disarmament of Hizbullah.
As to the armed Palestinian factions, it was reported that they may relocate to Gaza following Israel’s pullout from the area.
