- Daily Star Monday, July 27, 2009.
- Photo: Photo: Zoriah (c). Beirut’s south suburbs bombed by Israel in 2006.
BEIRUT: Israel is preparing for another war on Lebanon between the end of year and next spring, Hizbullah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said during a private meeting with Lebanese emigrants, New TV reported on Saturday. Nasrallah said the “new formula for the balance of power with Israel placed the southern suburbs opposite to Tel Aviv.”
“Israel cannot be trusted,” he said, but added he was not trying to “frighten the people” and asked the Lebanese to “enjoy a quiet summer.”
Commenting on the June 7 parliamentary elections, Nasrallah admitted that his group feared a victory and criticized the electoral process, “where billions of dollars were spent.
“Yes, we feared an electoral victory so that they don’t accuse us of using our arsenal to win,” he added.
Nasrallah called on Lebanese expatriates to respect and abide by the laws of the countries in which they live in.” He added that Hizbullah “does not carry out security-related activities” outside of Lebanon.
On ties with Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt, the Hizbullah leader said the openness showed by Jumblatt “was met with the same level of honesty.”
“We will continue to bolster this relation as long as the other side is proceeding in the same direction. This is not an issue of building or winning back trust,” he added. – The Daily Star
