Beirut- Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah ruled out the widely popular option of integrating his armed group into the Lebanese army. His statement on this matter was viewed as a positioning strategy ahead of the June 8 national dialogue meeting on disarming all the militia in Lebanon.Nasrallah made the statement on the eve of the sixth anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from the South of Lebanon.
Nasrallah, who faces Lebanese and international pressure to disarm as per UN resolution 1559 and al Taif Accord, said that guerrilla fighting was Lebanon's sole option in facing Israeli aggression. "It is the only available alternative before us," Nasrallah said, reiterating that northern Israel remained "under the firing line" of his group's more than 12,000 rockets.
Nasrallah said "the resistance is a point of strength for Lebanon" in the absence of a powerful regular Lebanese army. "If today I go on television to tell the residents of the (northern Israeli) settlements that they should go down to the shelters, they will all be in Tel Aviv in no time," said Nasrallah during a conference on "the culture of resistance."
Nasrallah added "To merge the resistance into the regular Lebanese army is not a realistic option because this will weaken the Lebanese position in facing the much superior Israeli army equipment or its experience."