Two years after the Second Lebanon war and the day Israel buried the two IDF reservists Eldad Regev and Udi Goldwasser taken captive by Hizbullah, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah rejoiced, declared victory and called for a united Lebanese front.
On Thursday, Israel raised its level of alert along the northern border fearing Hizbullah may use the swap to strike at Israel in retaliation for the death of arch terrorist Imad Mugniyah, considering itself no longer obligated to maintain the relative calm along the border with Israel.
The Ashark Alawsat newspaper mocked the Hizbullah leader and in a report published on Thursday declared the prisoner exchange for Hizbullah was no victory. "The Radwan deal,cost Hizbullah over $7 billion, more than 1,200 dead and 4,500 wounded Lebanese citizens, " the report said.
It is no secret that since the war, Hizbullah has succeeded in replenishing its arsenal threefold, Israel has estimated that the terrorist organization has in its possession over 40,000 long and short range rockets. Hizbullah continues to enjoy heavy Syrian and Iranian support.
A report compiled by UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon that was based on information handed over by Israel, revealed that Hizbullah has tripled its arsenal of C-802 land-to-sea missiles and has rehabilitated its military strength north of the Litani River,
A Kuwaiti newspaper reported last week that Hizbullah has deployed sophisticated anti aircraft missiles in the mountains of central Lebanon, to target IAF flights and regular sorties conducted by the air force.
A Lebanese newspaper also reported that for months Nasrallah has issued warnings to Israel that his organization possesses a new weapon. Iran itself has boasted the recent testing of Shihab ballistic missiles that have a distance range of over 2000 kilometers, and will be used "to establish a power of balance in the region in favor of Iran." Some media reports claim that Iran has chosen to transform Lebanon into a strategic point for its counter strikes.
The Newblaze website reported that Hizbullah has begun fitting chemical warheas on its katyusha rockets and reports from Saudi Arabia claim that the organization has already acquired chemicals to produce nerve and mustard gas warheads from north Korean suppliers.
There are also reports that the Lebanese Army has constructed military posts in the disputed Shaba Farms possibly to assist Hizbullah and allow Syria to reclaim the area.
So While Hassan Nasrallah swaggers over his so called victory with the recent prisoner swap, he should also realise that Israel's fighting force is not something he should ignore. 07/17/08
Margot Dudkevitch
Infolive.tv
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