Hizbullah Official on UNIFIL: People Won't Accept Troops Living among Them, Calling Them Terrorists
A Hizbullah official has announced that southerners will not accept to have U.N. peacekeepers among them who label them as "terrorists," in the wake of the European Union's decision to put the party's armed wing on its list of "terrorist" organizations.
“People are not going to accept you living among them and calling them terrorists,” a Hizbullah official said in an interview with the British newspaper the Financial Times.
The EU designation has tested Hizbullah’s relationship with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), which has been deployed in southern Lebanon since 1978.
“We as locals in the south treated UNIFIL like sacred guests – we protected them,” Ali Ahmed Zawi, a pro-Hizbullah mayor of a southern village, told the FT.
“What do they do in return? Put us on the terrorist list,” he added.
According to Tony McKenna, the commander of UNIFIL's Irish battalion, the pro-Hizbullah community leaders with whom his contingent regularly liaises have not reproached them yet for the designation. “We would have expected if there was going to be a backlash, mayors would not be meeting us, or if they were meeting us, giving us a dressing down – we haven’t encountered this yet,” said Lt. Col. McKenna.
The mayor also played down any suggestion of violence, insisting that Hizbullah will respond “politically” to the EU designation. “They put us on the terrorist list, but we’re going to treat (UNIFIL) well, because that’s our way,” he said.
European countries with troops in southern Lebanon are likely to have received indirect assurances that their security would not be affected before taking the decision, said Timur Goksel, of the American University of Beirut, a former UNIFIL spokesman.
“UNIFIL's presence serves Hizbullah in multiple ways, for their own security and for the benefit of their people economically,” he said.
However, even if Hizbullah as an organization has decided not to turn up the heat on European peacekeepers, villagers angered by the decision might confront a UNIFIL convoy, Goksel added.
A Lebanese security official told the FT that extremist groups known to operate in the South might take advantage of the situation to launch an attack on UNIFIL.
Two years ago, unknown assailants targeted French and Italian peacekeepers. More than a dozen were wounded by three roadside bombs.
Almost a third of UNIFIL's 10,000 troops are from European countries.
over 11 years
Have no need for them? lololol. Terrorists they are and will be as long as they continue killing innocent people across the globe! Scums!
over 11 years
the m8 comments confirm my post: hizbushaitan are getting crazier by the day.
they are seeing how much they are hated across the world and in Lebanon in particular, and they are unable to deal with reality. :)
over 11 years
hzbushaitan is getting crazy!
nasrallah had said "let them put hizbushaitan on the terror list" and now they are threatening?
it seems like this Iranian terrorist militia has lost it, and they are going to commit something they will regret.
over 11 years
And no sympathy from Lebanese civilian's that aren't on the petro-embargo Iranian dollars perfusion.
الله يلعن بشار & نصر الله
Les terroristes!
over 11 years
So what's this article about? The filthy militia won't accept troops living among them and then “They put us on the terrorist list, but we’re going to treat (UNIFIL) well, because that’s our way,”? So what's the conclusion?
over 11 years
I agree 100% with texas. UNIFIL and the lebanese shia cummunity of all sects has strong relations than even Hezbollah cant manage to break. This reminds me of a muslim cleric in Iraq who tried to prevent his supporters from watching football, saying that people should focus on their religious duties instead. Most people just want to live their life, to enjoy things like music, sports, social life, to make business that can make a better future for their families.
Most european UNIFIL soldiers who came to lebanon in the late 70s and onwards came with pro-Israeli views due to the effects of WW2/holocaust (deny it or not). However during their stay in Lebanon they saw what was really going on here, and their witness accounts about Israeli violations had a massive influence in changing the opionion in their homelands. Today most people in (UNIFIL)countries like the nordic countries, Ireland and France are sympathetic towards the palesitinan cause and Lebanon. (cont..)
over 11 years
(cont)..
Since someone mentiones Qana, a documentary was made where UN soldiers told about what they saw as targeted bombing using drones (including video)and about the terrible scenes on the ground. If you thing that it will be difficult for shiah to live with european UNIFIL-soldiers from now on, its clearly another bad analysis from Hezbollah.
over 11 years
Check this out the reason for the war in Syria.
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-08/putin-laughs-saudi-offer-betray-syria-exchange-huge-arms-deal
over 11 years
How typical, ignore the official position of the Lebanese Government .......... they want to behave as the state they think they are.
They support UN presence as long as it is to their benefit.
They support the LAF so long it is to their benefit.
They support the formation of a Cabinet so long it is to their benefit
Go bless Lebanon, its president and the LAF.
over 11 years
No such thing as Israeli Violations.. The Unifil actually is there to protect the population for the terror of hizballah.
Israel has every right to defend itself from these terrorists in any way it sees fit.
over 11 years
"HA welcomed UNIFIL and protected them".... What an arrogant thing to say!
UNIFIL soldiers have other things to do. they are here to fix the mistake of your boss HASSAN. Their presence is protecting us from israel. You should thank them for sacrificing and being here instead of saying arrogant nonsense.
over 11 years
Ya fake southerner. Hezb Ebola has no say on the matter.... They're barking, that's all they can do in Lebanon after they proved to the WORLD that they are terrorists.
over 11 years
Happy Eid to you too. May Allah make Lebanon a real country with the LAF protecting all of us from takfiris and from HA.
over 11 years
so let terrorist ha show the un how a terrorist organization behaves.
over 11 years
The people who would end up regretting the departure of UNIFIL the most would be those who live in the area patrolled by UNIFIL troops. For all those who think that UNIFIL does not do anything for the south: Stop deluding yourselves. UNIFIL provides thousands of jobs for local people, be it directly or indirectly. Their departure would hurt the south economically, an area of Lebanon that needs external help to prosper. The departure of UNIFIL would have disastrous economic consequences for the locals. HA knows this quite well. All their current declarations are smokescreens. UNIFIL will stay and HA will be glad they did.
over 11 years
"Hizbullah Official on Hizbullah: People Accept Troops Living among Them, Forgetting We are Terrorists"
would have been more accurate
Idiots! Talking about shooting yourself in the foot...again. Without UNIFL Israel would have had you for breakfast and spit you out after having indigestion. And let's not forget....Hassan to come out and say HA won.