BEIRUT, Aug 12: Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Saturday his guerillas would observe a UN resolution to end fighting with Israel once the timing of the truce was agreed and adhered to by Israel.
He said Hezbollah had the right to resist Israeli soldiers while they remain inside Lebanon, but would cooperate with Lebanese soldiers and UN troops due to be deployed to southern Lebanon as part of the Security Council resolution.
“Once there is an agreement to stop the so-called military operations or the aggressive operations ... the resistance will adhere to it without hesitation,” he said in a televised speech.
“We have said before that we agree to the deployment of the Lebanese army supported by the UNIFIL forces ... They will receive the full cooperation and facilitation of the resistance,” he said.
“As long as there is Israeli military movement, Israeli field aggression and Israeli soldiers occupying our land ... it is out natural right to confront them, fight them and defend our land, our homes, and ourselves.”
Mr Nasrallah said that Hezbollah would wait for the cabinet to make a formal response to the UN resolution rather than pre-empt its decision.
“We find some aspects of the resolution unfair and unjust ... it blames the resistance which only carried out a limited military operation,” said Mr Nasrallah, adding however that it could have been much worse.
ISRAELI PLAN: Israel plans to halt offensive operations in Lebanon at 7am on Monday (0400 GMT), but will continue to engage Hezbollah in areas where the army is operating, a senior Israeli official in Jerusalem said on Saturday.
“Israel will end its offensive assault and then will be cleaning the area” in southern Lebanon of Hezbollah fighters and weapons, a senior government official said.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said it was not aware of the plan.—Agencies
