Jared Moya
August 26th, 2006, 12:05 PM
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The magnitude of the Israeli response to Hizbollah's cross-border operation in July took the Lebanese guerrilla group by surprise, Hizbollah deputy leader Naim Kassem said in an interview published on Saturday.
Kassem told an-Nahar daily that Hizbollah had expected an Israel attack at some stage as part of a joint plan with the United States but it had no indication it would come in July.
"We were expecting the Israelis would respond at the most by bombing for a day or two or some limited attacks or targeting certain places, such that it would not go beyond three days and some limited damage," he said.
After Hizbollah fighters seized two Israeli soldiers on July 12, Israel started bombing Lebanon's civilian infrastructure in a one-month war which displaced more than 900,000 people.
Israeli attacks killed close to 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and did damage worth billions of dollars. Israel lost 157 people, mostly soldiers inside Lebanon.
Kassem said: "Frankly we were surprised by the great size (of the Israeli response) and by this serious attack."
Two days after the war began, Hizbollah learned that Israel and the United States had been planning an attack in September or October. U.S. media have also said the United States was enthusiastic about Israeli plans to strike at Hizbollah.
"Israel was not ready. In fact it wanted to prepare for two or three months more, but American pressure on one side and the Israeli desire to achieve a success on the other ... were factors which made them rush into battle," Kassem said.
The Israeli army said it would not comment on the state of its planning at the start, saying this was a "political matter".
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-08-26T162158Z_01_L26781913_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST-LEBANON-HIZBOLLAH.xml
Kassem told an-Nahar daily that Hizbollah had expected an Israel attack at some stage as part of a joint plan with the United States but it had no indication it would come in July.
"We were expecting the Israelis would respond at the most by bombing for a day or two or some limited attacks or targeting certain places, such that it would not go beyond three days and some limited damage," he said.
After Hizbollah fighters seized two Israeli soldiers on July 12, Israel started bombing Lebanon's civilian infrastructure in a one-month war which displaced more than 900,000 people.
Israeli attacks killed close to 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and did damage worth billions of dollars. Israel lost 157 people, mostly soldiers inside Lebanon.
Kassem said: "Frankly we were surprised by the great size (of the Israeli response) and by this serious attack."
Two days after the war began, Hizbollah learned that Israel and the United States had been planning an attack in September or October. U.S. media have also said the United States was enthusiastic about Israeli plans to strike at Hizbollah.
"Israel was not ready. In fact it wanted to prepare for two or three months more, but American pressure on one side and the Israeli desire to achieve a success on the other ... were factors which made them rush into battle," Kassem said.
The Israeli army said it would not comment on the state of its planning at the start, saying this was a "political matter".
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=2006-08-26T162158Z_01_L26781913_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST-LEBANON-HIZBOLLAH.xml