BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- A senior Hezbollah official said Friday that around 250 members of the guerrilla group were killed in the summer war with Israel, the highest toll acknowledged by the Shiite Muslim movement. Mahmoud Komati, deputy chief of Hezbollah's politburo, dismissed Israeli claims that many more Hezbollah fighters were killed, saying the group does not hide its casualties. "We are proud of our martyrs," he told The Associated Press. He estimated that around 250 guerrillas were killed in the July 12-Aug. 14 fighting with Israeli forces. OhhhÂ…IÂ’d say bout twoÂ…maybe two-fiddyÂ…whatever it takes.
A tally compiled by the AP from Hezbollah and police reports during the war put the guerrilla losses at 70 dead. Miri Eisin, an Israeli government spokeswoman, said the toll was "closer to 600. It just goes to show that slowly they'll let out the truth. And we hope that everyone will take notice that Hezbollah is trying to hide its losses," Eisin said.
Lebanon's Higher Relief Council, a government agency that handles humanitarian crises, has said 1,191 people were killed in Lebanon, mostly civilians, before fighting ended with a U.N.-brokered cease-fire. An official Lebanese police report put the toll at 1,100. The figures are based on reports from hospitals and morgues around the country. Israel said the 34-day fighting killed 159 Israelis, including 39 civilians.