Report: European Diplomats Warn, Israeli Retaliation against Hizbullah 'Serious'
European countries have informed Lebanese authorities that Israel's threat to retaliate if Hizbullah carried out an operation to avenge the assassination of Samir al-Quntar “is very serious”, the Kuwaiti al-Qabas daily reported on Saturday.
“The Israeli government’s threats against Lebanon if Hizbullah carries out an operation to revenge for the assassination of al-Quntar are serious threats,” a European report said.
Diplomats told Lebanese decision-making officials that Israel cares not whether Hizbullah carries out the attacks in Golan, the Shebaa farms or at any other location, and that Israel will retaliate anyway.
The European report said that the general mobilization in Israel at the current phase is much more sensitive than it was before the July 2006 war, and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government seems more willing to wade a major war against Lebanon, according to the daily.
Last week, Hizbullah vowed to respond to the killing in a suspected Israeli air strike near Damascus of one of its top militants, al-Quntar.
The movement's chief, Hassan Nasrallah, said after the controversial militant's funeral in Beirut that Hizbullah reserves "the right to respond to this assassination at the time and place of our choosing."
Israel has welcomed news of Quntar's death without claiming responsibility for the air strike that killed him, allegedly with four missiles fired from Lake Tiberias in northern Israel.
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