Qassem Says Hizbullah Abides by 1701, Any Future War will be More Violent
Hizbullah deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem said his Shiite group is abiding by Security Council resolution 1701 but warned Israel from launching war on Lebanon.
"We will remain calm and abide by resolution 1701. But we will be resolute and Israelis should make accurate calculations because the next war will be stronger and the resistance will be more violent in its retaliation," Qassem told al-Manar TV station in an interview on Monday.
He said on Friday Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah will reveal the party”s readiness in case of an Israeli attack on Lebanon.
The Hizbullah official, however, ruled out any Israeli aggression on Iran or Lebanon because the Americans and Israelis don”t know how such a war would end or not.
Qassem was also reassured that UNIFIL”s mandate would be extended for another year on August 27 without any amendments despite Israeli and U.S. efforts to change the peacekeepers” Rules of Engagement.
Turning to the cabinet issue, the Hizbullah official said problems facing formation of the next government would be solved and added that any attempt to change the 15-10-5 formula would bring things back to where they started.
He told al-Manar that a technocrat government proposed by the Lebanese Forces is unacceptable because the country is politicized. But Qassem stressed that MP Walid Jumblat”s latest statements will not influence the cabinet formation process.
He said Jumblat has the boldness to take stances and defend them.