Hizbullah believes the major Israeli maneuvers that would start Sunday reflect "serious preparations for war." The Saudi newspaper al-Watan quoted an "official close to Hizbullah" as saying such maneuvers are "not a routine measure."
He noted that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has postponed a scheduled visit to Washington "which is an additional indicator that something is happening." Israel, according to the official, is ready "for a new adventure, especially that the Americans need to restore the strategic balance of powers in Lebanon and the region and regain confidence of their allies."
To achieve this alleged goal "they sent destroyers to the Mediterranean and escalated their stands against Syria and Iran," he added.
The Shiite organisation is expected to "vigilantly follow" the Israeli drill, its senior official in south Lebanon, Sheikh Nabil Kaouk, was quoted as saying Saturday. "Israel's military drill is not a testament of its strength but of its frustration and despair following its defeat in the Second Lebanon War," Sheikh Kaouk was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, Lebanese daily As-Safir quoted diplomatic sources in New York as saying that Israel has asked UNIFIL “to inform the Lebanese government that the military exercise will not threaten Lebanon or Hizbullah and that "it will not include the border region.” The reported request to UNIFIL was made after Lebanon Army commander Gen. Michel Suleiman and Hizbullah ordered a heightened state of alert in southern Lebanon.
Referring to the planned Israeli military exercise, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem said Thursday that his country has chosen peace as a strategic choice, but must remain alert in case of any act of aggression on Israel's part. "Syria is ready to defend itself against any aggressiveness," he told European Union ambassadors during a dinner in Damascus, the London-based Arabic-language newspaper al-Hayat reported.
