Israel Matzav

Hezbullah's Sheikh Naim Qassem: 'We will support [Hamas] with all available means without exception'; UPDATE: Video added

The Financial Times of London publishes a rare interview with Sheikh Naim Qassem, Hezbullah's number 2 in command. You can click over to view the entire interview here. The key question and answer - which deal with Hezbullah's support for the 'Palestinians' - start around the 1:46 mark.

We will support [Hamas] with all available means without exception and without stating the methods and means available, because the strength of resistance is in its secretive nature and so it can't reveal the details of its work.

There are elections in Lebanon on June 7, and there is a good chance that Hezbullah will win those elections and gain control of the coutry's army, including some $1 billion in training and equipment that have been given to Lebanon by the Bush and Obama administrations.

What could go wrong?

UPDATE 10:53 AM

There's a full transcript of the interview here. The video was edited. Here are the full questions and answers that relate to Hamas:

FT: Let’s move on to the recent arrests of 49 men in Egypt who were alleged to be part of a Hizbollah cell there. Hizbollah has always said it gave only moral support to the Palestinians in Gaza but has that now changed? Are you helping on the ground? Are you expanding your operations?

SNQ: We have always said that we supported the resistance in Palestine but we have not mentioned how or given details of such support, we have avoided giving details of our support. But Egypt has now revealed that we have given military support to Palestine. We have done so for a while but we have not talked about it. For us it is a great honour and not just an honour but a duty for us to support the Palestinians, and it should also be an honour and a duty not just for us but for all Arabs and all Muslims to support the Palestinians in their resistance. We are asked about our specific and limited support for Gaza while nobody questions the US about their total and unflinching support for Israel. We are always questioned but nobody questions the US.

FT: For how long have you been supporting the Palestinians in Gaza?

SNQ: It is one of the secrets of the resistance that we don’t talk about the details of our support, but suffice to say that we are giving them every type of support that could help the Palestinian resistance. Every type that is possible.

FT: Have you been giving them military arms? Rockets? Training? Logistical support?

SNQ: We don’t talk about the details of our support or how or what we support them with. We leave this to be seen in time to come.

Indeed.

UPDATE THURSDAY 12:40 AM

I am now able to embed the video, so let's go to the videotape.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 10:30 AM