Nasrallah tells Beirut crowd Hezbollah has the body parts of IDF soldiers

[bemildred]

You know, I was wondering a day or two ago whether old Hassan was going to do something to raise the temperature on the "Northern Front".

Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said on Saturday his group possessed body parts of Israel Defense Forces soldiers left on southern Lebanon's battlefields during the Second Lebanon War.

Nasrallah addressed a crowd of followers in southern Beirut during a rally to mark the Shi'ite Ashoura festival.

"Oh Zionists, your army is lying to you... your army has left the body parts of your soldiers in our villages and fields," Nasrallah said. "Our mujahideen used to fight these Zionists, killing them and collecting their body parts. I am not talking about regular body parts. I tell the Israelis, we have the heads of your soldiers, we have hands, we have legs," he added.

The last time Nasrallah appeared in public was in September 2006 at a victory rally marking the end of the month-long war between Israel and the militant Shi'ite group. Since then, he has only addressed his supporters through video-links or on television.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/946071.html

[papau]

1. Well that makes me proud of Hezbollah and its leaders - not

[bemildred]

2. Yah, pretty tacky. But great for rousing the rabble.

In this case, I would say he is trying to provoke the Israelis too. Or humiliate them, or something like that.

[Vegasaurus]

3. Nasrallah is among the worst of a very bad lot nt

[bemildred]

4. Sources: Hezbollah has body parts of IDF soldiers

Senior military officials Saturday confirmed that Hezbollah was in possession of the remains of Israel Defense Forces soldiers who died in the Second Lebanon War. They said the security establishment had updated the families of soldiers who could possibly be affected.

Highly-placed sources in Jerusalem expressed shock at Hezbollah Secretary-General Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah's claims about the body parts in his organization's possession. They said Israel would not negotiate with Hezbollah over the return of these body parts and was focusing on obtaining the release of kidnapped soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. "There is no intention of cooperating with Nasrallah. We will not be a party to profiteering in the remains of Israeli soldiers and will not trade in body parts," they said.

Sources in Jerusalem, meanwhile, confirmed that the person mediating between Israel and Hezbollah is continuing his efforts to bring about another prisoner exchange agreement, one that would include Regev and Goldwasser. Israeli officials have long been aware that Hezbollah possesses the remains of Israeli soldiers. No complete bodies are involved; the bodies of all soldiers who were killed in the war were retrieved and buried in Israel and every family who asked received a full report about the state of the body at the time of burial.

A statement by the IDF Spokesman's Office said the statements "constitute a cruel and cynical move by an organization that fragrantly tramples the most fundamental, ethical codes, shows no respect for human rights or the international conventions that govern these matters ... we call upon all those with the most basic common sense to view him as cowardly and to condemn him."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/946136.html

[rockymountaindem]

5. What a scumbag n/t

[LeftishBrit]

6. Disgusting man!

I hope he is lying.

[bemildred]

7. Ministers call for assassination of Hezbollah leader Nasrallah

After Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said Saturday that his organization is holding the remains of Israel Defense Forces soldiers killed in the Second Lebanon War, several government ministers on Sunday called for the militant chief's assassination.

"Nasrallah is a cruel and crazy man," said Minister Yitzhak Cohen (Shas), during the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem. "I don't understand why he is still breathing. We should have liquidated him a long time ago. I recommend the cabinet assassinate the man.

---

Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Sunday advised the cabinet ministers to pay no heed to Nasrallah, maintaining that responding to Nasrallah's remarks only lends them validity.

"The determining factor is not Nasrallah's comments. Our problem is that we always strengthen him and his words more than necessary. He always uses psychological pressure, and I recommend paying no heed to his comments," Barak said.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/946136.html

[oberliner]

8. There is always another Nasrallah

Something has got to give here at some point.

[bemildred]

9. Actually, from a Hizbullah POV, he's been pretty effective.

And I have no doubt he would be dead already, if the means had presented itself. OTOH, you are right, there would be no shortage of replacements, and when you pursue political assassinations as a policy you legitimize it for everyone else too.

[pelsar]

10. Nassralla himself

was a replacement...in fact the guy he replaced wasnt nearly as good.....

reminds me of the when the IDF captures/kills the head of Al Aska/Islamic jihad in Jenin (or wherever)..and then next month we hear the same announcement......and then a month later, the same announcement.....

[bemildred]

11. Yah, but he's been there quite a while now.

You don't find guys that just fit right into the job every day. You get a Bush or Olmert or Abbas or Ahm-an-idjit more often as you get a Nasrallah or Pooty-Poot.

I have speculated about whether he accelerated the demise of his predecessor or not, but have not looked into it.

[ProgressiveMuslim]

12. Do you think these leaders are a dime a dozen?

I beg to differ.

Nasrallah's strategy defeated the IDF. I don't think that's a dime a dozen.

[oberliner]

13. Do you think the conflict between Hezbollah and the IDF is over?

Or do you think there will be another round (so to speak)?

Do you think Hezbollah ought to disband as a militia and be absorbed into the Lebanese Army?

[ProgressiveMuslim]

14. I don't know.

I haven't thought it through. But I do not think that Nasrallah is easily replaced.

[oberliner]

17. What was Nasrallah's strategy?

And why would other Hezbollah leaders be incapable of implementing it?

[ProgressiveMuslim]

18. To make occupation of southern lebanon too costly.

[oberliner]

19. Didn't the UN and international community have a major role

In getting Israel to accept a cease fire?

[ProgressiveMuslim]

20. I think the # of dead soldiers was more a deciding factor. nt

[bemildred]

15. I think he's been "pretty effective", that's what I said.

Even Pelsar knows that. Relax.

I would disagree that the Second Lebanon War was an un-mixed blessing for Hizbullah/Lebanon, but it was clear that Nasrallah was way the heck happier about the result than the IDF.

[bemildred]

16. If you read post #11, you will see what I think about that.