Hezbollah envoy: War on Israel to widen
By BRIAN MURPHY, Associated Press WriterMon Jul 24, 8:45 AM
ET
Hezbollah's representative in Iran struck a defiant tone Monday,
warning that his Islamic militant group plans to widen its attacks
on Israel until "no place" is safe for Israelis.
Hossein Safiadeen also reinforced earlier threats by Hezbollah
leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah to widen the scope of attacks, which
have included unprecedented missile strikes deep into northern
Israel.
"We are going to make Israel not safe for Israelis. There will be
no place they are safe," Safiadeen told a conference that included
the Tehran-based representative of the Palestinian group Hamas and
the ambassadors from Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian
Authority.
"You will see a new Middle East in the way of Hezbollah and
Islam, not in the way of Rice and Israel."
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a surprise visit to Beirut
on Monday while en route to Israel. Rice met with Lebanese Prime
Minister Faud Saniora about the surge in fighting along the
southern border in the last two weeks.
Rice told him, "Thank you for your courage and
steadfastness."
Safiadeen's comments reflected the deep opposition within Hezbollah
to the efforts to broker a truce, including apparent attempts by
Arab powers to pressure Syria into ending its support for
Hezbollah, leaving Iran as the group's lone major backer.
Iran and Syria are the main sources of funds and equipment for
Hezbollah, which was founded in the early 1980s and took
inspiration from Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Syria said Sunday it was willing to work with the United States and
others to press for an end to the worse Arab-Israel battles in 24
years but set conditions that Israel is unlikely to accept. Those
conditions include a broader regional peace initiative that would
discuss the return of the Golan Heights, which was captured by
Israel in 1967.
Arab powerhouses Egypt and Saudi Arabia also were pushing Syria to
end its support for Hezbollah fighters, Arab diplomats in Cairo
said.
Safiadeen told The Associated Press he "had no news" about Syria
considering withdrawing its support for Hezbollah, which touched
off the crisis July 12 with a cross-border raid that captured two
Israeli soldiers.
"We will expand attacks," he said. "The people who came to Israel,
(they) moved there to live, not to die. If we continue to attack,
they will leave."
Israel claims Iran has supplied Hezbollah with long-range missiles,
which have hit the port of Haifa and other places. Iran denies the
charges but does not hide its high-level support for
Hezbollah.
"This war will be remembered as the beginning of the end for
Israel," Safiadeen said.
Nasrallah said in remarks published Monday that an Israeli ground
invasion would not prevent Hezbollah from firing rockets into
northern Israel.
"Any Israeli incursion will have no political results if it does
not achieve its declared goals, primarily an end to the rocketing
of Zionist settlements in northern occupied Palestine," Nasrallah
told As-Safir newspaper. "I assure you that this goal will not be
achieved, God willing, by an Israeli incursion."
Responding to reports about diplomatic efforts to end the fighting,
Nasrallah said the priority was to end Israeli attacks on Lebanon,
but he added that he was open to discussing initiatives.
Those attending Monday's conference included a top Foreign Ministry
official and Gen. Mirfaisal Bagherzadeh of the powerful
Revolutionary Guards.
The Palestinian ambassador, Salah Zavavi, said he believes the
chances for a comprehensive political solution have passed. Israel
also is battling Hamas-backed militiamen in the Gaza Strip claiming
to hold an Israeli soldier missing since an ambush last
month.
Hamas won Palestinian parliamentary elections last month but has
been snubbed by Israel and many Western countries as it refuses to
recognize Israel and renounce violence.
"The resistance groups will not accept a political end to this,"
Zavavi said. "They will not put down their weapons."