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Israel Warns World Over Hizballah Disarmament

In a development that could have serious consequences regarding the cease-fire in the Middle East war between Israel and Hizballah, the Israeli government on Wednesday warned that if the Hizballah terrorist group was not disarmed as per UN resolutions by either the Lebanese government or the United Nations, Israel would go about attempting to do this. The announcement came as the UN broke with past bureaucratic protocal to speed up the deployment of international forces set to enter south Lebanon to assist the Lebanese army in taking control of the area.

The Israeli government in Jerusalem said that the United Nations Security Council resolution 1701 "is clear (on the point) that Hizballah needs to be removed from the border area, embargoed and dismantled." The spokesman for the Prime Minister`s Office in Israel also stated "If the resolution is not implemented, we will have to take action to prevent the rearming of Hizballah. I don`t think backtracking will serve any useful purpose. There has to be pressure on Hizballah to disarm or there will have to be another round."

Hizballah, meanwhile, has been defiant in the face of calls for disarmament, with chief terrorist Hassan Nasrallah stating that he didn`t think the Lebanese army was equipped to defend Lebanon as well as his group has. Nasrallah deputy Sheikh Naim Qassam also said "What Israel didn`t succeed in taking during war, it will not succeed in taking through diplomacy and politics," referring to Hizballah`s disarmament. Hizballah is sponsored and aided by the regimes in Iran and Syria.