Hezbollah warns UN peacekeepers

[bemildred]

Edit: Oh yeah, "Gee, who could have predicted this?"

Hezbollah has said it has no problem with the deployment of UN peacekeepers as long as they stick to defending Lebanon and not try to disarm it.

Hezbollah has agreed to abide by a ceasefire that ended its 34-day war with Israel, but has resolutely refused to lay down its arms until it is satisfied that Israel has ended its occupation of Lebanese territory.

"The UN interim force in Lebanon is here to protect the Lebanese and Lebanon's sovereignty, and we want its mandate limited to that," Nabil Qaouk, the group's chief in southern Lebanon, said on Saturday.

Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, said this week that his forces are present in the whole of southern Lebanon and that nobody can prevent them from being present on Lebanese territory, which he said is their “home”.

al Jazeera

[rbentxxx]

1. Of course...

Hezbollah refuses to be disarmed. No one who feels threatened by a bordering nation ever would.

[Solo_in_MD]

2. Just more evidence that Hezbollah is an illegal militia and beyond

the control of the Lebanese national government, as if any more was needed

[leesa]

5. The agreement was that Israel gets OUT

[greccogirl]

8. And that they DISARM. Which they haven't DONE.

[greccogirl]

6. Did anyone REALLY think that they

would disarm according to the resolution? ROTFLMAO

[MrPrax]

14. Good point...

Italian socialists in World War 2 were told to disarm, and look what happened -- the fascists got back in power with allied backing. The victors simply moved the capital from Salo back to Rome...

List of Italian Militias '43-'54

Welcome to DU!!!

Welcome to DU!!!

:hi: :hi: :hi: :hi:

[mike_c]

15. exactly-- any ceasefire agreement that doesn't respect the rights...

...of the parties to remain secure after the ceasefire is ridiculous. Hiz'bollah should disarm when Israel either disarms or demonstrates that it is no longer a threat. Hiz'bollah's militia was the only thing that stood between the Lebanese and occupation by Israel. They should NOT disarm as long as the threat remains.

[breakaleg]

3. If Hezbollah did give up their weapons, then the IDF would walk in

and kidnap all those people they wanted and bring them back to Israel to face charges. Even though this was a war and no one is trying to kidnap and imprison the IDF soldiers that killed all of those Lebanese civilians.

I can certainly understand why they still felt the need to protect themselves, as Israel is still a huge threat to them.

[bemildred]

4. I thought this was the money quote:

"The UN interim force in Lebanon is here to protect the Lebanese and Lebanon's sovereignty, and we want its mandate limited to that," Nabil Qaouk, the group's chief in southern Lebanon, said on Saturday.

We now have both Hiz'bullah and Israel saying UNFIL++ is there to protect them.

WRT the other issue, disarming would amount to unconditional surrender, it will not happen voluntarily, and no one seems likely to be able to force the issue, so that is all a lot of hot air.

[Kagemusha]

9. Good catch. I noticed that too.

Nasrallah could give courses in how to take propaganda used by one's enemy and throwing it back in said enemy's face (something I do not believe that there have been many Arab leaders of any kind have been good at since the founding of Israel). Really, even though I see no reason Israel supporters should feel impressed, the quality is so much higher than what one could have expected from the likes of Yassir Arafat. Israel better hope this is an exception and not a trend; good propaganda is just one more hurdle to have to combat.

[bemildred]

13. He is definitely a level up from his predecessors that way.

No Baghdad Bob, he understands the PR game of appearances. He stays ahead of issues and rarely misses a trick. Like him or not, if would be foolish not to respect his abilities.

[breakaleg]

11. good one. Whatever else Hezbollah is, they aren't stupid.n/t

[greccogirl]

7. Israel is a huge threat?

Well possibly if they stopped attacking Israel they wouldn't have to worry about it!!

[stepnw1f]

10. I Don't Buy That

I think it goes both ways.

[dkofos]

16. They are a threat to the entire middle east.

Don't forget, they are the only country
between the Med and Pakistan to posess nukes.

If that is not a huge (or is that hugh) threat
then WTF is??

[tocqueville]

12. It's mostly hot air

THe Hezbollan has nothing to win in attacking the UN troops since the majority of the Lebanese are clearly feeling protected by them (remember that the Shiite population supporting the Hezbollah is only 30-35% of the whole population). The Hezbollah will do nothing as long as the UN doesn't go actively to disarm them, which isn't part of the mandate (this is very clear - despites Israel's claim of the contrary). The Lebanese army is going to tell them not to show off too much and will seize some "weapons" now and then to prove they are doing something.

What I am worried about is an Al Quaeda attack (or attacks) on the peacekeepers, trying to create an Iraq like situation.