'Hizbullah doesn’t want war’

TEL AVIV - The attacks of the last few days might lead one to think that the Hizbullah wants to set the border on fire, but experts believe the Shiite Islamist group wants to keep a low profile. The Hizbullah is preparing itself for the upcoming Lebanese parliamentary elections at the end of the month. This election will decide whether the party continues to function in its present structure. Since the Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon, Hizbullah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah is feeling the pressure to disarm. The assassination of ex-prime minister Rafik al-Hariri led Lebanese politicians to take a tough stance against militias. And the May 29 elections are liable to bring more pressure on the group. “The Hizbullah has no real interest to open a round of fighting with Israel right now,” Mouafac Harb, a Lebanese-American journalist, told Ynetnews. “The public, especially the Shiites in the south, opposes conflicts with Israel.” It’s not Hizbullah’s style Arab affairs expert Professor Eyal Zisser told Ynetnews, “If you look at the chain of events that has occurred along the northern border, you discover this is not Hizbullah’s regular pattern of activity. When they attack, they really attack and are not satisfied with several mortar shells.” In the eyes of the Hizbullah, it merely responded to Israeli actions, not initiated the clashes, Zisser says. “It’s hard for me to believe it’s convenient for the Hizbullah to act against us now because of the heavy internal pressures,” he said. “After all, if it initiates a confrontation with Israel, people in Lebanon will say the group is acting against the Lebanese interest.” Overall, Zisser believes Hizbullah has plenty to lose if it does initiate a large-scale clash with Israel. “It’s difficult for me to identify their interest in moving away at this time from the low profile they maintained,” he says. “If they initiate a confrontation with Israel, it could signal their end.”

'Hizbullah doesn’t want war’

Lebanese terror group facing internal pressures, not interested in clash with Israel, expert says