| That's their story and they're sticking to it. |
The comments by the deputy leader Sheik Naim Kassem, was the Lebanon-based militant's group's first comment on the nature of last week's explosion, which Israel and United Nationsofficials called a violation of a UN truce resolution. Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, prohibits guerrillas from engaging in military activities in south Lebanon and forbids weapon smuggling to the group. But the guerrillas are believed to continue to have a clandestine presence in the area.
After the explosion in an abandoned building in Khirbet Silim, about 9 miles from the Israeli border, Israel accused Iran and Syria of violating those conditions by sending weapons to Hezbollah.
"There is no violation of Resolution 1701, Kassem said. What happened ... is a normal incident that has to do with leftover shells that had been collected during and after Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon in 2000," he said.
Kassem spoke in an interview with the Qatari Al-Watan newspaper to be published at a later date. Excerpts of the interview were provided to The Associated Press by Hezbollah's media office Wednesday. Kassem said Israel exaggerated the Khirbet Silim incident in an attempt to deflect from its occupation as well as its daily violations of Lebanon's airspace.
The explosion was followed few days later by a stone-throwing clash between Hezbollah supporters and UNIFIL peacekeepers who were conducting a follow-up investigation to the blast.
The Lebanese Army has meanwhile increased its presence in the Kafr Shuba and Shaba Farms area in South Lebanon, warning residents not to approach the border for fear that Israeli forces will fire upon them. Local media reported that Israel had stepped up its military readiness levels in the region and deployed tanks and armored personnel carriers to the area.
Israeli military sources told Haaretz that they are disturbed by recent events in Lebanon, especially the infiltration by Shi'ite demonstrators of the border at Har Dov on Friday. They said that despite these developments there are no indications that Hezbollah is interested in a confrontation with Israel. The sources say the Shi'ite Muslim organization is currently focused on the formation of the new Lebanese government and its role within it, and is not looking for military conflict.