Correspondents in southern Lebanon said Hezbollah's hardcore supporters were taking the road to Beirut, on foot as well as by car, for Friday's show of strength, while the government complained of renewed Israeli violations of its airspace.

Israel's announced delay until next week in withdrawing its last soldiers from south Lebanon, initially expected to take place by this Friday, denied the Shiite militant group an extra celebration at the rally.

"Israel delays its withdrawal so as not to coincide with the demonstration," said Beirut's mass-circulation daily An-Nahar.

Fighting off a tumble in his coalition's approval ratings since the July-August war, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert joined the fray to insist it was the Jewish state which emerged victorious.

The rift on the Beirut political scene amid Hezbollah calls for a new national unity government has also come to the fore, with Prime Minister Fouad Siniora stopping short of viewing the conflict which ended with an August 14 ceasefire as a victory.

"We succeeded in preventing Israel from winning the war," the Lebanese premier said in an Arab television interview on Wednesday night, while pointing out he had not been invited to the Hezbollah demonstration.

Siniora has said the war cost Lebanon billions of dollars in damages and lost revenue, setting back the country several years, on top of the more than 1,200 people killed in the 34-day conflict sparked by Hezbollah's capture of two Israeli soldiers.

His interior minister, Ahmad Fatfat, told reporters the Syrian- and Iranian-backed group had not applied for a license to stage the rally in the Shiite southern suburbs of Beirut, but the authorities would nevertheless co-operate and help provide security.

Organisers said their aim was to make it the biggest demonstration in the history of Lebanon, with supporters of Hezbollah's Christian ally, General Michel Aoun, among several political groups taking part, As-Safir newspaper reported.

But the presence of Nasrallah, Israel's public enemy number one, remains uncertain due to fears for his safety.

"We are preparing an open site. The main leaders of Hezbollah will be present, but we cannot say if Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah will be there, for security reasons," spokesman Hossein Rahal said.

Nasrallah, whose name means "victory of God", has not been seen in public since the day war broke out. While his whereabouts remain secret, he has made a string of Arab television appearances.

Asked on Israeli television whether Nasrallah would be a target if he turned up Friday, Israel's army chief Dan Halutz said: "I prefer not to answer that question."

Officials in Beirut said Siniora has instructed the foreign ministry to submit a protest to the United Nations (UN) Security Council over Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace along the border and alleged Israel was pumping water from the Wazzani river in the south.

"The Lebanese authorities have informed us about allegations on Israeli pumping of the Wazzani and we are currently investigating," said Alexander Ivanko, spokesman for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil).

Israel has delayed pulling out its remaining troops, saying questions still had to be ironed out with the beefed-up Unifil force and the Lebanese army, both of which have been deployed in south Lebanon.

"We very much hoped that the withdrawal would be completed by Friday but after contacts we have had with the UN and the Lebanese army, there are still unresolved questions," Halutz told reporters.

Unifil said that the number of its peacekeepers in Lebanon had more than doubled to 5,000 - a key condition that Israel has demanded before completely exiting its northern neighbor.

Here are some pictures on the preparations for the rally courtesy of AP

The shadows of Hezbollah supporters, wearing yellow T-shirts and waving flags, is reflected on the ground, as they march out of the port city of Tyre, just over 75 kilometers (46 miles) south of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2006, on their way to attend the massive victory rally that will take place in Beirut Friday afternoon.

A Lebanese Hezbollah supporter, sets chairs during the preparation for a massive victory rally organized by Hezbollah at the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon

A Syrian worker, sets chairs as he hangs Hezbollah's flag on his cap during the preparation for a massive victory rally organized by Hezbollah at the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon

Lebanese Hezbollah supporters, wearing yellow T-shirts and carrying yellow flags, Hezbollah's color, walk past a poster showing Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah with Arabic writing 'He promised and he delivered' as they march out of the port city of Tyre, just over 75 kilometers (46 miles) south of Beirut

A Lebanese Hezbollah supporter waves a Hezbollah flag in front of a banner showing pictures of Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, bottom, Shiite Muslim spiritual leader Imam Moussa Sadr who disappeared on a trip to Libya in 1978, center, and Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, top, in the southern village of Kfar Kila, Lebanon, Thursday, Sept. 21, 2006

Source: Sunday times