Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah
Photo: AP
IDF withdrawing from Lebanon. Hizbullah weapons to remain along border
Photo: AFP
Hizbullah: Our weapons will stay along border
IDF soldiers withdraw from southern Lebanon only two days ago and Hizbullah leaders already announce they 'will never give up weapons or resistance to occupation.' Lebanese foreign minister reports that Rajar added to list of places from which Lebanon demanding Israeli withdrawal
Only two days after Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon, Hizbullah leaders announce that their weapons threatening Israel will remain along the border.
Muhammad Fanish, a minister representing Hizbullah in the Lebanese government, announced that the organization "will never give up its arms nor its role of fighting the occupation." According to him, Hizbullah won't abandon its role "as long as there is occupation of even one foot of our land." Fanish, energy and water minister in the Lebanese government, spoke Monday at a festive meal breaking the Ramadan fast.
Nabil Qauk, a senior Hizbullah member in southern Lebanon, said, "The true sign of Hizbullah’s victory over the enemy is the fact that the Islamic resistance remains armed along the border with occupied Palestine. The enemy knows he is incapable of dismantling this weaponry."
Qauk spoke on the 40th day after the death of a Hizbullah member in the village of Aitaroun, near Bint Jbeil: "The weapons remain in the villages of southern Lebanon, but aren't visible to the naked eye," he said.
According to Qauk, "The UNIFIL forces don't have the authority to dismantle these weapons, nor to search out or spy on the resistance. We, after July 12, are in the same equation as before – our weapons are in the villages of the south and along the border, but are not visible. Our nation sent a clear message to the outside on September 22 according to which we are adhering to all the sources of power against the Israeli enemy. The weapon of the resistance is the pioneer soldier of these sources of power."
Lebanese Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh accused Israel of not withdrawing from all of Lebanese land and that it "as is her habit, wants to leave a ticking bomb after it." In statements he made Monday, the Lebanese government "hasn't received any reassuring message from the UN. We are waiting for a detailed report of the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon from the peacekeeping force and UNIFIL commander, General Alain Pelligrini."
If Israel doesn’t withdraw from Rajar, this will mean that it still wants to cause problems in southern Lebanon. Just as we have demanded full withdrawal from Shebaa Farms and the village of Shuba, we also are now demanding that Israel withdraw from the village of Rajar, which is a Lebanese village and the Lebanese flag must fly above it."
The Lebanese foreign minister demanded the UN to pressure Israel to withdraw from Rajar and to hand over the map of the minefields it has lain. The minister added that the Lebanese government is expected to file a complaint with the UN in which it will ask the UN to pressure Israel to withdraw from Rajar.
