Nasrallah. 'Calm before the storm'
Photo: AFP
Nasrallah: Israel wants to raze al-Aqsa Mosque
Hezbollah chief tells al-Manar television, 'There is no real dispute between Israel and the United States.' It's only a matter of time before Jewish state turns Jerusalem into a Jewish city, he adds
Hezbollah
Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah
told the al-Manar television network on Wednesday night that "Israel
is planning to destroy the al-Aqsa Mosque."
Addressing recent threats voiced by Israeli officials, Nasrallah said, "I am still convinced by what I have said in the past, that this is the calm before the storm. The Israelis are threatening. And yet I say, Israel is in a strategic crisis today – it can neither achieve peace, nor launch a war. Therefore, in the foreseeable future there is no guarantee that Israel will succeed in gaining a military victory."
According to the Hezbollah chief, it's only a matter of time, as Israel's objective is "to turn Jerusalem into a Jewish city, both in terms of its residents and in terms of the holy sites."
On the Defense
Roee Nahmias
Sheikh Naim Qassem says Shiite organization not violating Resolution 1701 because no weapons are deployed south of Litani River
He went on to address reports that the international criminal tribunal dealing with the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri plans to question several Hezbollah members.
Nasrallah confirmed the reports and said that "the attorney general's office has contacted a number of our brothers in Hezbollah and some acquaintances and has asked to question them. They have stressed that they are witnesses, not culprits."
The Hezbollah leader implied in the interview that he did not need a general agreement in Lebanon in order to defend his country.
"Since 1982 there has been a split over the resistance, but this does not overcloud it. Never in history has there been a resistance which everyone agreed on unanimously. We don't think that a general national agreement is a (necessary) condition for defending ourselves and our land," he said.
He addressed Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt's visit to Damascus on Wednesday, saying that "what happened is a good outcome. This is an opportunity to thank (Syrian) President Bashar Assad. President Assad acted like a great, responsible Arab leader. He has a strategic vision."
According to Nasrallah, "Syria has its own criteria. It views Israel as the enemy and therefore wants Lebanon to be strong."
He did not ignore the recent dispute between Israel and the United States. "There are now disagreements between (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu and (US President Barack) Obama and his team, but the real America – some 230 Congress members – sent a letter to Clinton to handle the crisis. This is the America we are talking about.
"I believe there is no real dispute between the US and Israel. If the US really wants something from Israel, the Americans can bring the Netanyahu government down. They can tell him, 'We will stop the aid to your country.'"
