Thousands of supporters flow to the Victory Rally

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Thousands of Hezbollah supporters packed Beirut's bombed-out suburbs for a rally Friday intended to showcase the group's insistence that it won't disarm. Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah will also address the deployment of U.N. peacekeepers in south Lebanon, which for years has been controlled by the militant group, Hezbollah spokesman Hussein Rahhal told The Associated Press on Friday.


The U.N.-brokered cease-fire that ended fighting between the guerrillas and Israel on Aug. 14 calls for stripping Hezbollah of its weapons, but Nasrallah has been defiant.

The group would not say whether Nasrallah would speak in person or address the rally by video link. But Lebanon's two leading newspapers, An-Nahar and As-Safir, reported Friday that Nasrallah would show up.

Nasrallah's presence would serve as "a strategic, political and security challenge to all Israeli threats" to kill him, As-Safir reported.

It would be the guerrilla leader's first public appearance since July 12, when Hezbollah's cross-border capture of two Israeli soldiers touched off a 34-day war and forced him into hiding.

Roads toward Lebanon's capital were packed with cars and buses waving Hezbollah flags Friday, hours before what was billed as the country's largest rally to showcase the group's insistence that it won't disarm. Hundreds of Hezbollah supporters from across south Lebanon began marching toward Beirut a day earlier.

Two hours before the rally, thousands of people had already arrived at the site on foot, in buses and in cars, chanting Nasrallah's name and waving Lebanese and Hezbollah flags.

In the southern port city of Tyre, some 200 people, including veiled Shiite Muslim women clad in black and holding their children, boarded large minivans bound for Beirut.

Hezbollah's Al-Manar television said thousands of buses, minivans and cars were streaming toward Beirut from the south and the eastern Bekaa Valley. Members of Christian parties and pro-Syrian groups in northern Lebanon were also traveling to the capital to participate in the rally, the broadcast said.

During its 34-day offensive, Israel threatened to kill Nasrallah. An attempt to assassinate him now was considered unlikely since it would risk plunging the region back into conflict.

Nasrallah had called for the rally to celebrate the "divine and historic victory" over Israel.

Nicolas Nassif, a political analyst at Al-Akhbar newspaper, which is close to Hezbollah, wrote Thursday that Nasrallah was expected to issue important messages at the rally, including that the group would not disarm.

The gathering is intended as a show of strength by Hezbollah at a time of increased friction with the government of Prime Minister Fuad Saniora.

i think hezbollah lost this battle horribly

Originally Posted by MTAFFI

i think hezbollah lost this battle horribly

Hi
Just curious any evidence would support your statement?

hi

How about this,

By 25 August 2006 63% of Israelis polled wanted Olmert to resign due to his handling of the war.The Economist concluded that by surviving this unsymmetrical military conflict with Israel, Hezbollah effectively emerged with a military and political victory from this conflict. Also, Israel's stated goals entering the conflict were to retrieve its two captured soldiers and destroy the military capability of Hezbollah - neither goal was accomplished.

And Israel also failing to disarm Hezbollah via U.N resolutions.So there are no clearcut victory for Israel,also "lost this battle horribly" according to you for Hezbollah are not accurate.
peace

Originally Posted by MTAFFI

i think hezbollah lost this battle horribly

Wow, if you seriously believe that then you must be realllly dumb...

Kidman

I don't think there can be any doubt that Israel didn't accomplish its goals in Lebanon, but I also wouldn't claim that Hezbollah won anything either.

On the topic of this rally, the only part I was concerned with was the condition of the two captured Israeli soldiers. It seems Nasrallah stated the soldiers would not be released unless a prisoner exchange was brought about. As much as I despise blackmail, I think Israel should give this serious consideration. Get those soldiers home to their families. Unfortunately, this will probably only lead to more kidnappings and blackmail...good thing I'm not in charge, because my emotions would get in the way of clear thinking.

Originally Posted by Kidman

Wow, if you seriously believe that then you must be realllly dumb...

Kidman

I think the same

Tell me how the Israelis lost. How many dead? Did the economy suffer? It is easy for Hezbollah to claim victory but really it is the Lebanese who lost this war. Much of their land has been destroyed, and why? Not because Israel demanded their soilders back but because Hezbollah would not give them back. And instead of the government (the elected officials for the lebanese people) saying yes lets go to war over this, Hezbollah an armed group in Lebanon, said yes let go to war over this on behalf of the Lebanese people. Israel may not have accomplished what they set out to do but they certainly did not lose. Take a look at the people dead on each side, take a look at the damage on each side and then tell me who the real loser is.


starfortress
hi

How about this,

By 25 August 2006 63% of Israelis polled wanted Olmert to resign due to his handling of the war.The Economist concluded that by surviving this unsymmetrical military conflict with Israel, Hezbollah effectively emerged with a military and political victory from this conflict. Also, Israel's stated goals entering the conflict were to retrieve its two captured soldiers and destroy the military capability of Hezbollah - neither goal was accomplished.

And Israel also failing to disarm Hezbollah via U.N resolutions.So there are no clearcut victory for Israel,also "lost this battle horribly" according to you for Hezbollah are not accurate.


Where did you get this quote anyways? I am sure it the opinion of some all knowing and always correct news agency.

It was equal, israel's were getting a hard beating towards the end of the war so they backed off to avoid any more casualities, smart move. Hezbollah put up a great fight, hats off to them.

Originally Posted by Inshallah

It was equal, israel's were getting a hard beating towards the end of the war so they backed off to avoid any more casualities, smart move. Hezbollah put up a great fight, hats off to them.

They backed off because the international community stepped in and public disapproval

Originally Posted by MTAFFI

They backed off because the international community stepped in and public disapproval

No, they backed off because they got their butts handed to them!

Kidman

Originally Posted by Kidman

No, they backed off because they got their butts handed to them!

Kidman

That is totally ridiculous, you are obviously uninformed and ignorant to the situation

I was reading through all of this and I just wanted to make sure that everyone knows that I do not support the war that happened in Lebanon. I feel horrible for the people there and I believe that Hezbollah and Israel were both wrong. Thousands of people are homeless because of careless people. Hezbollah should not have kidnapped the soilders and used Lebanon as a base, and Israel could have done things differently to get their troops back. I know I said earlier that I though Hezbollah lost but the fact of the matter is that anytime there is any war or killing everyone is a loser no matter how you cut it, and the longer this continues the closer our species is to extinction. We are on a dim path to a nuclear destiny and in the end we will question what our true purpose was, and it wont be religion, power, land or gold, it will be survival as one people under the higher power, whoever you believe it may be.

How did Hezbollah lose when they barely lost any soldiers. Israel lost, they tried to take out the whole country of Lebanon, but couldn't hurt Hezbollah.

And both hurt in many ways:

Israel- By losing a lot of soldiers and not being able to get their soldiers back, also losing government popularity

Hezbollah - Hurt because of Israel's actions of killing the innocent people of lebanon; and even though Hezbollah didn't suffer many casualties, and even though they gained more popularity in Lebanon, they still suffored a great amount of economic damage which they are paying for out of their own pockets.

May Allah bless the Hezbollah and give them power against any invaders of Lebanon!

Kidman

Originally Posted by MTAFFI

i think hezbollah lost this battle horribly

looooooool if that was the case the zionist mujrimoon would still be in lebanon murdering on a large scale..

infact Hizbullah actually, well showed the zionists