“If (a war) were to happen as they are threatening, our victory this time will be decisive, unquestionable and final,” Nasrallah said in a televised address marking the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Hezbollah-sponsored ‘Al Mahdi Scouts.’

A number of Israeli leaders have issued warnings to Lebanon in recent days after the formation of a national unity government in which the Hezbollah-led opposition has 11 ministries and the power of veto over cabinet decisions.

“The moment the Lebanese government confers legitimacy on Hezbollah, it must understand that the entire Lebanese state will be a target in the same way that all of Israel is a target for Hezbollah,” Environment Minister Gideon Ezra said on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert made similar remarks the previous day, warning that Israel would fight a far more devastating campaign than in the 2006 war if Hezbollah led the government.

Nasrallah branded these statements as “scare tactics” and “psychological warfare” on the Lebanese, saying they were “an internal necessity in Israel.
“There are currently elections within Kadima (Israel’s ruling political party) and each candidate is trying to portray himself as the leader and the savior” of Israel, he said.

Nasrallah said Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak had threatened to wage a land operation with five Israeli military units.
“The five units will be destroyed in our mountains and valleys and homes and villages,” Nasrallah said.
“And with it will be destroyed your country that is violating our sacred land.”

Israel and Hezbollah fought a devastating 34-day war in the summer of 2006 which left over 1,200 Lebanese dead, mostly civilians and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers killed.

The Israeli bombardment of Lebanon at the time centered mostly on Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon and the southern suburb of Beirut, but the military did hit civilian infrastructure, including the main international airport, roads, bridges and a power station.

Israel has always said that such instances were exceptions to an attack that was solely focused on Hezbollah and was initially aimed only at recovering two Israeli soldiers seized in a deadly cross-border raid on July 12, 2006 which sparked the conflict.

Israel will be targeted by thousands of rockets if it attacks Iran, a senior Hezbollah official said yesterday.

There has been speculation that either the US or Israel could attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, although both have said force should be a last recourse in curbing a nuclear program which they suspect aims to build atomic weapons.

Iran, which says its nuclear program is peaceful, is the main backer of Hezbollah, which fired thousands of missiles into Israel during the war in 2006.
“The first shot fired from the Zionist entity towards Iran will be met by a response of 11,000 rockets in the direction of the Zionist entity. This is what military leaders in the Islamic Republic have confirmed,” said Mohamed Raad, the head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc. His remarks were reported by the National News Agency.

Hezbollah has not said what it would do in the event of a conflict between Iran and Israel. Analysts count Hezbollah, which shares Iran’s Shia Islamist ideology, as a major asset for the Islamic Republic in the event of conflict.

Share this Article:           
Feedback? We want to hear your thoughts!