Hezbollah warns Israel against sparking conflict

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http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSLA450945

Hezbollah warns Israel against sparking conflict

Sat Jan 10, 2009 10:55am EST

BEIRUT, Jan 10 (Reuters) - Hezbollah warned Israel on Saturday not to

use an incident in which rockets were fired from southern Lebanon

into the Jewish state as a pretext for sparking a conflict with the

Shi'ite guerrilla group.

Hezbollah, a potent military and political force, said it was ready

to react forcefully in the event of an Israeli attack.

At least three Katyusha rockets were fired into northern Israel from

southern Lebanon on Thursday, in an attack seen as linked to Israel's

offensive in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.

Hezbollah, which still maintains a stronghold in the south, has

denied responsibility for the attack which wounded two people. The

Lebanese government condemned the attack as a violation of a U.N.

Security Council resolution that halted the 2006 war between Israel

and Hezbollah.

Even before Thursday's incident, the Gaza fighting had increased

tension along the Lebanese-Israeli border with both Hezbollah and

Israel on guard.

" We are prepared to face any foolishness. We have wisdom, composure

and strength which allows us to deal with calmness of nerves. We will

not be dragged into what we don't want or what we don't decide

ourselves, " said Mohammed Raad, the head of Hezbollah's parliamentary

bloc.

" We will not allow ourselves to be targeted under any circumstances,

either under the pretence of unknown rockets or under the pretence of

the elation of victory here or there. "

Raad appeared to be referring to a scenario in which, should Israel

declare victory in Gaza, it would then attack Hezbollah, which stood

its ground in the 34-day war in 2006.

" We are on the lookout for the Israelis. And we will prove that this

preparedness is bigger and greater than the enemy can imagine, " Raad

told a mass Shi'ite gathering in the southern town of Nabatiyeh.

Israel has mobilised tens of thousands of reservists since beginning

the Gaza ground offensive. The army has not said where they will be

deployed, but there has been speculation in Israeli media that some

will be stationed in the north.

Hezbollah put its fighters on alert early in the conflict, wary that

Israel's Gaza campaign could mark the start of a wider offensive

against its foes.

Hezbollah, which like Hamas is backed by Iran, has said it is

confident the Islamist group will emerge victorious in the Israeli

onslaught on Gaza that began on Dec. 27.

Hamas officials say the Israelis have so far killed 821 Palestinians,

many of them women and children. Ten Israeli soldiers and three

Israeli civilians have also been killed. (Writing by Yara Bayoumy,

editing by Tim Pearce)