US ambassador to Lebanon Vincent Battle on Friday described US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice’s condemnation of Hizbollah as a “terrorist” group as highly important. Battle made these public comments following his encounter with the Lebanese Foreign Minister Mahmoud Hammoud, who had returned from the Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo.
Asked about dialogue between Washington and Beirut regarding the Hizbollah issue, Battle referred to Rice’s words to the Arabic daily Al Hayat, where she said that Hizbollah was still involved in “terrorist activities.”
Meanwhile, the Lebanese Daily Star reports that Hizbollah’s southern commander said Friday that the resistance movement was “in a state of total readiness” to confront any Israeli aggression against Lebanon. While receiving a delegation of Druze religious leaders from Hasbaya at the former Khiam prison, Sheikh Nabil Qaouk stated recent Israeli overflights only “affirmed the resistance movement’s right to resort to all means that ensure putting an end to Israel’s aggression.” “In the event of any operations, they will certainly come as a surprise to the enemy (Israel). We will not definitely disclose the resistance movement’s secrets.”
(Albawaba.com)
