Nasrallah: Lebanon must build nuclear reactor

Hezbollah head says reactor similar to Iran's Bushehr solution to country's electricity crisis

Roee Nahmias |Published: 08.24.10 , 22:44

While a senior member of his organization was being killed, Hassan Nasrallah has his sights set on a nuclear reactor – in Lebanon. The Hezbollah secretary-general commented on the country's electricity crisis for the first time on Tuesday and presented an original solution in a televised speech on the organization's al-Manar channel.

Nasrallah urged the Lebanese government to draw conclusions from the current electricity crisis and follow in Iran's footsteps and build a nuclear reactor to generate electricity like the reactor in Bushehr.

"The cost of building the Bushehr reactor was less than Lebanon's investment in the electricity network. I call on the government to build a nuclear reactor to generate electricity, and then we can also sell energy to Syria, Cyprus, and other countries in the region," he said.

The Hezbollah chief also commented on the Lebanese military's armament and the recent border skirmish with Israel. "What happened in the al-Adeisa battle proved that the weapons the Americans give come with the condition that they must not be directed against Israel, but only towards internal affairs, which they call 'the war on terror'. Tomorrow they will condition it on fighting Hezbollah."

In his last televised speech, given some two weeks ago, Nasrallah accused Israel of being behind the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. He presented "evidence" tying Israel to the killing, as well as aerial photographs showing that Israel was allegedly tracking Hariri the days prior to his death.