HIZBALLAH SIGNALS BATTLEFIELD SETBACKS, BLAMES AND TARGETS U.S.

By Michael Widlanski 25 July 2006

Hizballah's main media outlet tonight appeared to be preparing its home
audience for serious military setbacks for the Iranian-sponsored Islamic
terror group, and it deepened its hostile focus on the United States-not
just Israel-perhaps as an explanation for the difficult days ahead.

"Land is not the most important factor, but rather the spirit of the
people," declared a strategic commentator identified as Dr. Col. Amin
Akhtai, interviewed on the television station that until now has been
bragging about battlefield successes.

Dr. Akhtai said that Hizballah was not concerned about loss of terrain,
because "perhaps the remaining terrain is better suited for defense."

But perhaps the most telling symptom of his remarks was the fact that he
prefaced them with a lengthy and uncharacteristic eulogy to "those heroes
who have become martyrs in the defense of Lebanon."

It was a stark departure for Hizballah, which has until now almost not
admitted any battlefield deaths or injuries, but according to Israeli
sources more than 150 Hizballah fighters have been killed and tens have been
captured especially in the fighting for Bint Jbeil, an area the Israelis
have called "the Hizballah capital."

Another sign of definite Hizballah weakness and even panic was the
growing tendency of Hizballh commentators and talk show hosts to place blame
on Arab governments for not coming to the aid of Hizballah.

"Where are the Arabs?" one tv host asked an Egyptian military expert.

But the most venomous tones were reserved for the United States.

"America is the greatest enemy," shouted an Egyptian security expert
identified as Egyptian parliament member Mustafa Baqri.

His view was seconded by strategic expert Dr. Akhtai, who was especially
critical of the Bush Administration's decision to send Israel GPU
"bunker-buster" laser-guided "smart bombs."

"America is the one who is confronting Hizballah," said Akhtai, but he
added, "the new weapons don't frighten us. Even one thousand such weapons
will not change the situation."

Another new feature of Al-Manar television's regular war programming is
increasingly anti-American cartoons and film montages that are shown
sometimes ten or twenty times a day.

One new montage aired Tuesday night features a picture of President
George Bush holding an axe under a headline: "rais al-ijraam"-"the President
of Crime."

© 2006 Michael Widlanski Associates [Material may be used citing source.]
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Dr. Michael Widlanski is a specialist in Arab politics and communication
whose doctorate dealt with the Palestinian broadcast media. He is a former
reporter, correspondent and editor, respectively, at The New York Times
,The Cox Newspapers-Atlanta Constitution, and The Jerusalem Post.

He has also served as a special advisor to Israeli delegations to peace
talks in 1991-1992 and as Strategic Affairs Advisor to the Ministry of
Public Security, editing secret PLO Archives captured in Jerusalem.