Hizbullah Ready For Possibility of Confrontation With Israel
Hizbullah”s Deputy Secretary-General Sheikh Naeem Qassem said that the party is ready for the possibility of a military confrontation with Israel, adding that the Israeli have no interest in having a new war with Lebanon.
In an interview with the French paper Le Figaro on Saturday Qassem denied Hizbullah”s involvement in launching rockets from south Lebanon into Israel saying: "current circumstances do not justify this."
"We have promised to respond to the assassination of (military leader) Imad Mughniyeh, who was killed in Damascus in February 2008, this is our right. However, this matter does not justify Israel declaration of a new war on Lebanon," Qassem said.
He reiterated the party”s stance in saying: "The Israel Mossad is responsible for killing Mughniyeh. Anyhow, Israel needs no justification for launching aggressive acts."
He reasoned that either Israel would consider that declaring war would be to its political benefit, and we are ready for this possibility, or Israel would receive the punch (for Mughniyeh”s assassination) without responding.
"I do not believe that under the current circumstances Israel would benefit from a new war with Lebanon. Their attack on Gaza demonstrated that their army did not learn from the 2006 war and remains incapable of turning its military capabilities into a political success," Qassem said.