By Stan Goodenough
Jun 15, 2007
According to the Italian officer in charge of the United Nations “peace-keeping” troops in southern Lebanon, reports by Israeli and other officials that the Lebanese Hizb’allah is rearming and preparing for another war with Israel are nonsense.
UNFIL’s Major-General Claudio Graziano told The Jerusalem Post those who maintained that Hizb’allah was rebuilding its strength were motivated by speculation and politics.
In other words, when Israeli Transportation Minister (and former IDF Chief of Staff) Shaul Mofaz asserted last week that Hizb’allah had returned to the level of armament and readiness it held before the war in July 2006, he was guessing and trying to make some political capital out of it, according to Graziano.
Hizb’allah was involved in increasing its political standing and in resolving issues in Beirut, and was not interested in fighting Israel just now.