Hezbollah official says 'severing hands' remarks addressed to Israelis, takfiris and local rivals
Hezbollah political bureau member Mahmoud Qmati clarified Wednesday that “Hezbollah is cooperating with President Joseph Aoun in his stances” and that his remarks a day earlier about “severing the hand that will extend to the resistance’s arms” were in response to a “provocative” rhetoric from some Lebanese rivals.
“Some want to orient the army to a clash” with Hezbollah, Qmati told Al-Jadeed television, noting that his remarks were addressed to those parties.”
“Today the entire universe -- foreigners, Arabs and Israelis -- have made weapons their only problem,” Qmati lamented, adding that Hezbollah’s arms are “an icon of thousands of martyrs who defended Lebanon in the face of a foreign enemy.”
The weapons “are the companions of the weapons of the army and Hezbollah is the country’s dignity and pride and will not accept those who want to waste this strength,” the Hezbollah official added.
He clarified that Hezbollah has agreed to “dialogue and a national security strategy” and has not mentioned handing over weapons in its rhetoric.
“A million Lebanese took out to take part in the funeral of former Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, announcing that they will keep the pledge. The first term of this pledge is preserving the resistance and weapons are the first thing that preserves the resistance,” Qmati argued.
He added that Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem has stressed that Hezbollah agrees to “the issue of the country’s security and the exclusivity of arms,” noting that “preserving security is a needed matter and we agree to it.”
“As for the issue of resistance, it belongs to the second part related to the defense strategy. The resistance is essential within this strategy and this is subject to dialogue,” Qmati went on to say.
Commenting on Aoun’s remarks about integrating Hezbollah’s fighters into the army, Qmati said Hezbollah does not want to discuss the defense strategy through the media.
“President Aoun has the right to present his ideas,” Qmati said.
As for the exchange of messages with Aoun, Qmati confirmed that there is “communication and messages but no debate session or dialogue has been held over the defense strategy.”
“There is no clash between the army and the resistance and this is settled,” Qmati added, noting that “there will be full cooperation with the army to liberate the land and the captives and halt the violations against Lebanon.”
He concluded by saying that “no agreement has yet been reached on a specific timing or timeframe for dialogue” and that his remarks about “severing the hand that extends to the resistance’s arms” were addressed to “the Israelis, the takfiris and the ‘Jews of the interior.’”
Source: Naharnet
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