Israel warned of 2nd defeat against Hezbollah

Hezbollah has warned Israel that waging war against the Lebanese resistance movement could bring Tel Aviv larger losses than those of 33-day war in 2006.

Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem on Monday said the recent Israeli saber-rattling is intended to restore the spirits of the Israeli population after their failure in 2006 Lebanon war.

“From the beginning of the year the Israeli media has been trying to portray the failed invasion (in summer 2006) as a success to restore Israeli army and nation’s lost spirit,” he explained.

He made the remarks after Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak hinted at Tel Aviv’s intention to launch another offensive against Lebanon, claiming the war would be more devastating than the one in 2006.

Sheikh Naim Qassem however cautioned that the remarks could be aimed at paving the ground for a possible Israeli offensive against Lebanon “in future”.

The Hezbollah official interpreted a possible future Israeli attack on Lebanon as an inseparable feature of Israel’s ‘usurper nature’ but said he believed it would not occur at this point.

Tel Aviv also attempts to coerce its foreign opponents and send a message to the international and regional sides, voicing its intolerance of Hezbollah’s increasing power, he added.

Sheikh Qassem stressed the resistance movement’s determination to respond to any Israeli incursion is neither an option of the political moment nor a momentary reaction, but a fortification of independence.

“Whenever Israel increases its pressure on us, we will become stronger, and whenever they increase their threats against us, our determination will increase,” he said.

The Lebanese cleric emphasized Hezbollah’s attachment to the UN Resolution of 1701 and its cooperation with the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Israel has accused the Lebanese side of violating the resolution.

Tel Aviv’s accusations against hezbollah come while the United Nations peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon have repeatedly warned about Israel’s daily violation of Resolution 1701.

“We have daily air violation of Lebanese territory (by Israeli planes), we have repeatedly asked the Israeli government to refrain from breaching the UN resolution,” Andrea Teneti, UNIFIL Deputy Spokesman said.