Israel trying to sabotage Hezbollah – Syrian ties- Lebanese General
24/01/2012
By Layal Abou Rahha
http://www.asharq-e.com/news.asp?section=1&id=28220
Beirut, Asharq Al-Awsat – Following Hezbollah’s denial that it was
responsible for bombing the Al-Zabadani area of Syria – close to the
Lebanese border – with Katyusha missiles last week, the Jerusalem Post
published a report claiming that Israel believes Hezbollah has “received
more surface-to-surface rockets, some of which can reach targets 300 km
away.”
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, retired Lebanese army Brigadier General Amin
Hoteit, an expert in Lebanese military and strategic affairs, stressed that
“this information does not have any strategic, military, or even media
value, particularly as Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah
himself recently stated that his group now possesses advanced military
capabilities, and is now capable of striking any part of Israel with its
missiles.”
Brigadier General Amin Hoteit stressed that “Hezbollah does not deny that it
possesses a military arsenal, and it is proud of this in its confrontation
with Israel” adding “Nasrallah himself said ‘our men are everywhere, and our
weapons are present on all fronts.’”
The Jerusalem Post report claimed that “the IDF [Israeli Defense Force] has
changed its operational assessment regarding the threat from Lebanon and is
currently working under the assumption that Hezbollah has obtained
sophisticated long-range surface-to-air missile systems from Syria.” The
report said “according to Western intelligence assessments, Hezbollah is
believed to have taken advantage of the ongoing upheaval in Syria to obtain
advanced weapons systems, such as additional long-range rockets as well as
Russian-made air defense systems.”
The Jerusalem Post report added that “Hezbollah is also believed to have
received several dozen more M600 long-range missiles, as well as additional
302 mm Khaibar-1 rockets, which have a range of about 100 km.” The Israeli
report noted that “M600s, which are manufactured in Syria as a clone of Iran’s
Fateh-110 [missile]…has a range of around 300 km…[and] can carry a half-ton
warhead and has superior accuracy.”
Hoteit described the accusations leveled at Hezbollah, particularly with
regards to the targeting of Al-Zabadani, as being “made by people who know
nothing about the nature of military activity."
He stressed that “if Hezbollah wanted to bomb Al-Zabadani from Lebanon they
would have used bases known to the Lebanese army”. Hoteit told Asharq
Al-Awsat that “the international news agencies quickly report the firing of
any single rocket from southern [Lebanon]”, adding that in this case, why
didn’t anybody report rockets being fired from southern Lebanon? He asserted
that “these accusations are ridiculous and laughable, and do not deserve any
response."
The retired Lebanese Brigadier General stressed “the more important question
is: why is Hezbollah being attacked and accused of being involved in the
Syrian file?” adding “it is clear that the attack on Syria is not an attack
on any figure or regime…but rather this is an attack on the ‘resistance’.
This is the same ‘resistance’ that destroyed the US dream of leading the
world, via its support of the Iraqi resistance and by preventing Israel from
victory in the Lebanon July 2006 war.”
Hoteit also stated that “there is another reason for accusations against
Hezbollah, which is the relationship between Syria and Lebanon and the
relationship between the Syrian and Lebanese people, which disturbs the West
and Israel, particularly following the Syrian support for the Lebanese in
the July 2006 war.”
He added “they are gambling that the reports of Hezbollah bombing
al-Zabadani will create a sense of anger amongst the Syrian people towards
Hezbollah, and break the ties that bind Hezbollah with Syria.”
Hezbollah issued a statement earlier this week saying “After some Syrian
opposition parties and Arab media accused Hezbollah of shelling the city of
Al-Zabadani, Hezbollah deems this accusation silly, funny and baseless.”
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