"If Israel comes out victorious from this conflict, this will be a victory for the Sunnis"

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Inside a well-furnished apartment in a village on the outskirts of Tyre, with shelves of books piled from floor to ceiling, a black turbaned cleric and three men sit sipping bitter coffee. By the door is a pile of Kalashnikovs and ammunition boxes; handguns are tucked into the men's trousers. The four are Hizbullah fighters, waiting for the Israelis.

"Patience is our main virtue, we can wait for days, weeks, months before we attack. The Israelis are always impatient in battle and in strategy," says the cleric, Sayed Ali, who claims to be a descendant of the prophet. "I know them very well."

As if to make his point, the sound of Israeli shells blasting the surrounding hills shakes the door and shutters every few minutes. Ali does know the Israelis. He started fighting them at the age of 17 when they invaded Lebanon in 1982. Three years later he was arrested with two of his comrades and spent a few months in an Israeli prison. Within weeks of his release he was fighting them again.That's what he did for the next six years.

For the last five years he has been finishing his theology studies in Tehran. A month ago, he was asked by Hizbullah to return to southern Lebanon. He arrived a week before the fighting began.

Standing at the window, he points to the banana plantations between us and the blue Mediterranean. "I have fought for years in these groves. We used to sit and wait for them [the Israelis] to make a move and then we would hit. They always moved too quickly, too soon."

All over the hills of south Lebanon hundreds of men like Sayed Ali and his comrades are waiting - some in bunkers, some in farm houses - for the Israeli troops to arrive. Sayed Ali and his men spend most of their time in the building where his apartment is, moving only at night.

"We stay put and we don't move till we get our orders, and this is why we are not like any other militia. A militiaman will fire whenever he likes at whatever he likes," explains one of the men, who says he has been involved in firing Katyusha rockets into northern Israel. "We have specific orders. Even when we fire rockets we know when and where [to fire] and each of the men manning the launchers runs to a specific hiding place after firing the rockets."

He says Hizbullah fighters expect the site of a rocket launch to be hit by an Israeli airstrike or shell within 10 to 15 minutes.

Another of the men, who says he is Sayed Ali's brother, explains how Hizbullah teaches its fighters patience: "During our training we spend days in empty buildings without talking to anyone or doing anything. They tell me go and sit in that building, and I go and sit there and wait."

According to Ali, Hizbullah operates as "a state within the state", with its own hospitals, social organisations and social security system. "But we are also an Islamic resistance movement, an indoctrinated army," he adds. "I would go and knock the door at someone and say we need $50,000, he would give me [that] because they trust us."

The fighting force of the organisation is divided into two: the "active" group, whose task is to serve in Hizbullah, and the reserve, or Ta'abi'a, as it is known in Arabic. The active fighters get monthly pay. The reserves are called on only in time of war, and receive bonuses but no regular pay. A third section, the Ansar, comprises people who support or are supported by the organisation.

Ali, the commander of Hizbullah in his village, and his men are part of the active force, and their orders are to wait for further orders. "Hizbullah hasn't even mobilised all its active fighters, and the Israelis are calling their reserve units," he said.

Hizbullah prides itself on its secretiveness and discipline. "We don't take anyone who knocks at our door and says 'I want to join'. We raise our fighters. We take them when they are young kids and raise them to become Hizbullah fighters. Every fighter we have believes that the ultimate form of being is martyrdom." The three men nod their assent.

Shia symbols and mythology play a big role in the ideology of Hizbullah, especially the tragedy of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the prophet who in the 7th century led a few hundred men against the well-organised army of the caliph in Damascus. He was slain in Karbala, and Shia around the world commemorate these events in Ashura.

"Every one of those fighters is a true believer, he has been not only trained to use guns and weapons but [indoctrinated] in the Shia faith and the Husseini beliefs," Ali says.

He and his fellow fighters have been preparing for the latest conflict with the Israelis for years and he acknowledges the support received from Iran.

"When we defeated them in 2000 we did that with [Katyusha] rockets. We had six years to prepare for this day - the Americans are sending laser-guided missiles to the Israelis, what's wrong if the Iranians help us? When the Syrians were here we would get stuff through their supply lines, now it's more difficult."

The TV is blaring patriotic songs and pictures of destroyed bridges, houses and buildings. The men are feeling confident - only a day earlier the Israelis suffered heavy casualties in the village of Bint Jbeil.

"Our strategy is to hit the commandos and the Golani units like we did in Bint Jbeil," Ali says. "Those are their best units. If they can't do anything, the morale of the reserve units will sink."

For Ali and his comrades, the latest conflict is a war of survival not only for Hizbullah but for the whole Shia community. It is not only as a war with Israel, their enemy for decades, but also with the Sunni community. Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt have all expressed fears of Iranian domination over the Middle East.

"If Israel comes out victorious from this conflict, this will be a victory for the Sunnis and they will take the Shia community back in history dozens of years to the time when we were only allowed to work as garbage collectors in this country. The Shia will all die before letting this happen again."

He says that even if the international community calls on Hizbullah to disarm as part of a peace deal, he and his men will not lay down their arms. "This war is episode two in disarming Hizbullah. First they tried to do it through the Lebanese government and the UN. When they failed, the Americans asked the Israelis to do the job."

Despite Israel's claims to have inflicted heavy losses on Hizbullah, Ali insists his side is in a strong position. "Things are going very well now, whatever happens we are winning. If they keep bombing us we will stay in the shelters, and with each bomb more people support the resistance. If they invade they will repeat the miserable fate they had in 1982, and if they hold one square foot they will give the Islamic resistance all the legitimacy. If they want to kill Hizbullah they have to kill every Shia in the south of Lebanon."

And even when the battle with the Israelis is over, he adds menacingly, Hizbullah will have other battles to fight. "The real battle is after the end of this war. We will have to settle score with the Lebanese politicians. We also have the best security and intelligence apparatus in this country, and we can reach any of those people who are speaking against us now. Let's finish with the Israelis and then we will settle scores later."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/syria/story/0,,1832931,00.html

[chri'stina 190]

Another of the men, who says he is Sayed Ali's brother, explains how Hizbullah teaches its fighters patience: "During our training we spend days in empty buildings without talking to anyone or doing anything. They tell me go and sit in that building, and I go and sit there and wait."

.....

Hizbullah prides itself on its secretiveness and discipline. "We don't take anyone who knocks at our door and says 'I want to join'. We raise our fighters. We take them when they are young kids and raise them to become Hizbullah fighters. Every fighter we have believes that the ultimate form of being is martyrdom." The three men nod their assent.

Crazy stuff...

[Ban Hammer 13,676]

Another of the men, who says he is Sayed Ali's brother, explains how Hizbullah teaches its fighters patience: "During our training we spend days in empty buildings without talking to anyone or doing anything. They tell me go and sit in that building, and I go and sit there and wait."

.....

Hizbullah prides itself on its secretiveness and discipline. "We don't take anyone who knocks at our door and says 'I want to join'. We raise our fighters. We take them when they are young kids and raise them to become Hizbullah fighters. Every fighter we have believes that the ultimate form of being is martyrdom." The three men nod their assent.

Crazy stuff...

kinda reminds me of the hitler youth program.

[lostinlove228 0]

This is a bullsh*t story, because nobody would have actually heard him talk.

Right now, lebanon is as one. Sunni, shia, druze, Christians.

Isreal will not win. Lebanon will never die. For as long as there is occupation there will be fighting. Lebanon will prevail and will live with it's people heads up.

[Ban Hammer 13,676]

This is a bullsh*t story, because nobody would have actually heard him talk.

Right now, lebanon is as one. Sunni, shia, druze, Christians.

Isreal will not win. Lebanon will never die. For as long as there is occupation there will be fighting. Lebanon will prevail and will live with it's people heads up.

terrorists do not talk. duly noted. therefore it must be false.

[lostinlove228 0]

well you can believe what ever you want. We all know where you stand and frankly I don't like you and I don't think you have a brain.

[MandR 0]

This is a bullsh*t story, because nobody would have actually heard him talk.

Right now, lebanon is as one. Sunni, shia, druze, Christians.

Isreal will not win. Lebanon will never die. For as long as there is occupation there will be fighting. Lebanon will prevail and will live with it's people heads up.

Excuse Me.... but Israel is not fighting with the Lebonese people or their government...... It is fighting Hezbollah, who are a terrorist organization in Lebanon supported by Iran and Syria who basically took over parts of Lebanon to hide amongst Lebonese civilians to fire rockets into Israel.

[lostinlove228 0]

Blah blah blah. Keeping listening to what the media and the govt is saying. They are murdering civilians. They are invading. This didn't start almost 3 weeks ago. This started 25 years ago with an invasion. When they "pulled out" in 2000 they still held land and hostages. This was not over. IT was continuing and this was planned by isreal. There plans where just hurried by the captures of the 2 soldiers. This isn't a terrorist group, they are a resistance. Look at what is happening objectively and with knowledge of the facts and the past and it will all be clear.

And by the way they are lebanese people. This attack has been against lebanon. Most dead are civilians. On Sunday an intetional Masacre happened by isreal in order to stop the peace talks. When the 4 Union guys where killed, it was intentional in order to show that they can get away with anything and no one is going to do anything about it. Look at the facts not what the "Great unbiased Media" tells you.

Edited July 31, 2006 by lostinlove228

[Ban Hammer 13,676]

Blah blah blah. Keeping listening to what the media and the govt is saying. They are murdering civilians. They are invading. This didn't start almost 3 weeks ago. This started 25 years ago with an invasion. When they "pulled out" in 2000 they still held land and hostages. This was not over. IT was continuing and this was planned by isreal. There plans where just hurried by the captures of the 2 soldiers. This isn't a terrorist group, they are a resistance. Look at what is happening objectively and with knowledge of the facts and the past and it will all be clear.

And by the way they are lebanese people. This attack has been against lebanon. Most dead are civilians. On Sunday an intetional Masacre happened by isreal in order to stop the peace talks. When the 4 Union guys where killed, it was intentional in order to show that they can get away with anything and no one is going to do anything about it. Look at the facts not what the "Great unbiased Media" tells you.

as i didn't see it reported by american media, it didn't happen

[mawilson 2,133]

When they "pulled out" in 2000 they still held land and hostages. This was not over.

Can you corroborate this statement with facts? I'm aware of the Shebaa Farms dispute,

but what other "land" or "hostages" are you talking about?

[MandR 0]

Blah blah blah. Keeping listening to what the media and the govt is saying. They are murdering civilians. They are invading. This didn't start almost 3 weeks ago. This started 25 years ago with an invasion. When they "pulled out" in 2000 they still held land and hostages. This was not over. IT was continuing and this was planned by isreal. There plans where just hurried by the captures of the 2 soldiers. This isn't a terrorist group, they are a resistance. Look at what is happening objectively and with knowledge of the facts and the past and it will all be clear.

And by the way they are lebanese people. This attack has been against lebanon. Most dead are civilians. On Sunday an intetional Masacre happened by isreal in order to stop the peace talks. When the 4 Union guys where killed, it was intentional in order to show that they can get away with anything and no one is going to do anything about it. Look at the facts not what the "Great unbiased Media" tells you.

The Israeli / Arab/Muslim war has been going on longer than 25 years according to my history books.

The attack is in Lebanon because thats where Hezbollah is. Hell they didn't attack Iran who is helping support Hezbollah. They went where they are, and they are in Lebanon.

Most dead are civilians, unforunately yes.... What happended yesterday is very sad, but if you hide in and amongst civilians, and shoot rockets from civilian places it's going to happen. Don't be a coward and hide amongst civilians.... GET OUT and show your face on the battle field..... Israel in trying to not target civilians areas, but guess who is.... the good old boys of Hezbollah

And Israel happened to agree to a 48 hour hold down.... but guess who fired the 1st rocket.... hummmmm could it have been Hezbollah.... apparently so.

[Ban Hammer 13,676]

The Israeli / Arab/Muslim war has been going on longer than 25 years according to my history books.

The attack is in Lebanon because thats where Hezbollah is. Hell they didn't attack Iran who is helping support Hezbollah. They went where they are, and they are in Lebanon.

Most dead are civilians, unforunately yes.... What happended yesterday is very sad, but if you hide in and amongst civilians, and shoot rockets from civilian places it's going to happen. Don't be a coward and hide amongst civilians.... GET OUT and show your face on the battle field..... Israel in trying to not target civilians areas, but guess who is.... the good old boys of Hezbollah

And Israel happened to agree to a 48 hour hold down.... but guess who fired the 1st rocket.... hummmmm could it have been Hezbollah.... apparently so.

i can hear it now.........

"when hezbollah fires a rocket during this, they are freedom fighters taking the opportunity to strike back at the jewish invaders"

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

The Israeli / Arab/Muslim war has been going on longer than 25 years according to my history books.

The attack is in Lebanon because thats where Hezbollah is. Hell they didn't attack Iran who is helping support Hezbollah. They went where they are, and they are in Lebanon.

Most dead are civilians, unforunately yes.... What happended yesterday is very sad, but if you hide in and amongst civilians, and shoot rockets from civilian places it's going to happen. Don't be a coward and hide amongst civilians.... GET OUT and show your face on the battle field..... Israel in trying to not target civilians areas, but guess who is.... the good old boys of Hezbollah

And Israel happened to agree to a 48 hour hold down.... but guess who fired the 1st rocket.... hummmmm could it have been Hezbollah.... apparently so.

i can hear it now.........

"when hezbollah fires a rocket during this, they are freedom fighters taking the opportunity to strike back at the jewish invaders"

Not exactly, but I think that the issues are a little more complex (and again go further back) than we're currently being exposed to..

Terrorist and Freedom Fighter is biased and emotionally loaded terminology.

[mawilson 2,133]

Terrorist and Freedom Fighter is biased and emotionally loaded terminology.

Section 212(a)(3)(B) of the INA defines "terrorism" to mean "any activity which is unlawful under the laws of the place where it is committed (or which, if committed in the United States, would be unlawful under the laws of the United States or any State) and which involves any of the following:

(I) The highjacking or sabotage of any conveyance (including an aircraft, vessel, or vehicle).

(II) The seizing or detaining, and threatening to kill, injure, or continue to detain, another individual in order to compel a third person (including a governmental organization) to do or abstain from doing any act as an explicit or implicit condition for the release of the individual seized or detained.

(III) A violent attack upon an internationally protected person (as defined in section 1116(b)(4) of title 18, United States Code) or upon the liberty of such a person.

(IV) An assassination.

(V) The use of any--

(a) biological agent, chemical agent, or nuclear weapon or device, or

(b) explosive, firearm, or other weapon or dangerous device (other than for mere personal monetary gain), with intent to endanger, directly or indirectly, the safety of one or more individuals or to cause substantial damage to property.

(VI) A threat, attempt, or conspiracy to do any of the foregoing."

[*Robert* 2]

kinda reminds me of the hitler youth program.

From first hand experience?