Hezbollah arms for protection -- lawmaker

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Statements criticizing the right of Hezbollah to maintain an armed resistance against Israel are dangerous sentiments, a Shiite leader said in Beirut.

Border relations between Lebanon and Israel escalated last summer, with both sides blaming the other for regional instability.

Beirut filed a series of complaints to the United Nations because Israel was conducting surveillance flights over Lebanese territory in violation of Security Council resolutions. The Lebanese government, meanwhile, backed a measure that gives Hezbollah the right to maintain an armed resistance in the face of an Israeli threat, which also violates U.N. mandates.

Adnan al-Sayyed Hussein, the Shiite state minister in Beirut, told Hezbollah's al-Manar news agency that blaming Hezbollah for Israeli aggression was a dangerous accusation.

"Should Lebanese dispute the resistance's arms before Israel withdraws from occupied territory?" he asked.

Lebanon and Israel dispute the official demarcation of their shared southern border.

Lebanese lawmakers struck a similar tone in 2009. Opponents said Israel would have no reason to maintain a defensive posture if Hezbollah surrendered its weapons. Advocates, however, said the issue was a matter of self-defense.

Observers suggest Hezbollah could lose some of its political influence without the leverage from the weapons issue.

Beirut, meanwhile, is preparing for commemorations to mark the anniversary of the assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on Feb. 14, 2005.

Source: United Press International (UPI).
Link: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2010/02/09/Hezbollah-arms-for-protection-lawmaker/UPI-97761265744824/.