Nasrallah on disarmament: Not really feeling it right now

posted at 11:15 pm on August 14, 2006 by Allahpundit
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They’ll disarm — eventually. But they can’t right now, or else who’ll defend Lebanon the next time Israel strikes? The Lebanese army? It’s too weak.

Ask him again in a year or two, though. Maybe it’ll be the right time then.

The same Lebanese army that’s too weak to defend Lebanon is planning to deploy to the south within the next 48 hours, with some anti-Syrian members of parliament stating they expect Hezbollah to hand over its heavy weaponry when they get there. Debka claims jihadi reinforcements are already being moved south to prepare for a possible confrontation.

Nasrallah’s addressed this subject before:

Speaking last year, in the context of a national dialogue that raised the question of political parties with arms, Nasrallah warned that “any thought of disarming the resistance is pure madness,” adding that “any such step is an Israeli act, and any hand reaching for the resistance’s weapons is an Israeli hand and we will chop it off.”

That quote reverberated across Lebanon, where some used it as a ring tone on their cellphones.

The Sunni death cult in Palestine is in raptures over its new Shiite hero, replete with soundtrack: “Ramallah’s hit song of the summer, blaring out of shops and streets stalls on a loop, is ‘The eagle of Lebanon,’ in praise of Nasrallah.” Assad’s riding his coattails by promising to liberate the Golan Heights by force. Olmert promises he’ll kill him the first chance he gets, but I don’t see how he’ll be able to without violating the UN resolution. And even if he could, with 58% of the Israeli public unhappy with the outcome, MKs heckling him during his speech today, IDF reservists petitioning to continue the battle, and op-ed writers calling for his head, it’s doubtful he’ll survive as PM long enough to take the shot even if one presents itself.

In any event, Nasrallah’s vowing to call his bluff.

But all’s not lost. A most unlikely source is calling the war not just a defeat for Hezbollah, but a borderline disaster. Their arsenal of rockets was supposed to be used against Israel in the event of a strike on the Iranian nuclear facilities. Now most of the arsenal’s gone, along with huge swaths of the Hezbollah infrastructure. And for what? Two Israeli soldiers?

Money quote:

According to exclusive reports reaching DEBKAfile’s sources, the Iranian government believes that Israel and the United States are preparing a military operation for the coming October and November to strike Iran’s nuclear installations. It is therefore vital to keep the two armies fully occupied with other pursuits.

An October surprise. What would Josh Marshall say?

Update: Read the headline. Then read the article.

Update: Debka’s not the only one who thinks Hezbollah took a beating.

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