Hezbollah vows to confront Israel through resistance

Lebanese Hezbollah movement's second in command Shiekh Naim Qassem has vowed that Arabs can not confront Israel except through resistance, local Naharnet website reported Saturday.

Any call for Arab rights cannot be obtained through diplomacy but through resistance, Qassem was quoted as saying in an interview to the Syrian official daily al-Thawra.

He stressed that his party was ready to confront Israel in case of any new Israeli aggression against Lebanon, which he seems to be expecting, saying "we built our state of readiness on the bases of the worst scenario."

Qassem, meanwhile, saw a difference between the Israeli war on Lebanon in 2006 and the recent Israeli offensive on Gaza, saying that "the first was because of an American request while the latter was a result of an Israeli need."

Israel and Hezbollah fought a devastating 34-day war in 2006, during which Israel did not achieve the goal of eliminating the Lebanese Shiite armed group nor was able to disarm it.

Hezbollah vowed to keep its arms as long as Israel posses a threat in the region.