Sheikh Qassem: Hizbullah Will Avenge Imad Moghnieh

Source: Al-Manar TV, 30-08-2008

Hizbullah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem told Al-Manar TV Friday that revenge for the assassination of top resistance commander martyr Imad Moghnieh (Hajj Redwan) was a legitimate right of the resistance and "will come as a surprise to the ‘Israelis' when it happens."

"Revenge is the legitimate right. For everything there is a time, God willing," Sheikh Qassem continued. "We won't get into details, but the ‘Israelis' will be surprised."

During the interview, his eminence tackled the July 2006 capture of two ‘Israeli' soldiers near the border with occupied Palestine. "When we carried out the operation, we didn't think about giving an excuse to Israel or not giving an excuse to ‘Israel' (to launch war), we thought about Israel not releasing prisoners." Sheikh Qassem also warned ‘Israel' against heating up the border. "Should the situation on the border heat up once again, and war erupts, Qassem warned that Hizbullah was more prepared than ever and Israel would suffer even worse casualties than before. The next war will be worse than the aggressions of July. The mental situation of the Israelis is dejected, and if the Israelis come in, they will suffer heavy human losses."

"Israel always prefers that the fighting take place out of its territory," Qassem said. "If the fighting is in its territory, you can use pressure and create a balance of fear," he added.

The Hizbullah Deputy S.G. rejected the party was violating UNSC resolution 1701.

"'Israel' has flown more than 20 sorties a day from August 14 [2006] until today. We have not violated UN resolution 1701 even once," he said. "Buying weapons, preparation, and training are not connected to 1701. The decision talks only about a ban on armed men south of the Litani River, and in the past two years UNIFIL has not seen one armed man."