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Jewish.com
19 Shevat 5762 03:32Friday February 1, 2002
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Hizbullah scoffs at Ben-Eliezer's peace overture
By David Rudge
HAIFA (February 1) - Hizbullah, reportedly rapped over the knuckles by Syria for its attack on IDF outposts in the Mount Dov region last week, charged yesterday that Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer's call to Damascus for unconditional peace talks was an empty gesture.
It said any resumption of peace talks would be conditional on Syria ending its support for it.
Remarks of this nature by leading Hizbullah officials appeared to be another act of defiance in the face of US pressure on Lebanon and Syria to curb the organization, which has reportedly placed second on its list of terrorist organizations, after al-Qaida.
While publicly denying involvement in terrorist activities against US interests, Hizbullah is trying to strengthen its claim to be a legitimate "resistance" force by focusing attention on what it maintains is Israel's ongoing occupation of Lebanese soil.
It has also reportedly developed a new weapon to counter the sonic booms of IAF planes. According to an article in Foreign Report, it has 57-mm anti-aircraft shells specially designed to make a loud noise when they explode at a predetermined altitude.
The article said Hizbullah weapons experts had been trying to do something similar with rocket-propelled grenades, which would explode in the air over northern communities without causing casualties.
This, said the report, proved to be a non-starter, and the technicians turned their attention to mortars and Katyushas, but apparently decided any firing across the border - even if they exploded in the air - would be seen as an act of war. Finally, Hizbullah experts managed to increase the noise from the 57-mm shells, and they were used twice recently - once sending residents of Kiryat Shmona into bomb shelters.
The article quoted a Hizbullah military chief as saying this is the point. "If they terrorize our children with their sonic booms, we are entitled to terrorize their people with our modest booms," he said.
Hizbullah has been using alleged IAF breaches of Lebanese air space as one pretext for its ongoing military operations against Israel, in addition to its claim the Shaba farms district is Lebanese soil. It has also been intensifying its efforts to ferment a similar dispute over 3,000 dunams (750 acres) around Metulla and Kibbutz Misgav Am.
Its weekly newspaper Al-Intiqad criticized the UN for adhering to the withdrawal line delineated by its cartographers and accused UNIFIL of constructing a buffer zone in the area to prevent residents of Adysseh gaining access to the "disputed" land. In fact, UNIFIL has closed the area because of mines.
Lebanese observers here said Hizbullah's recent military actions and its ongoing efforts to justify them by claiming Israel is still occupying Lebanese land are clear indications of its intentions.
On the other hand, the organization has been trying to defuse criticism at home and US pressure by asserting it was never involved in terrorism against US interests in Lebanon.
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