Nasrallah describes 'Israeli provocation' bid for next war

Lebanese resistance movement leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah on Sunday dismissed as provocation the statement by Israeli defense minister Amir Peretz that that it was preparing for a second round of war with Lebanon.

Nasrallah told Lebanese New TV that Hizbullah would ignore Israeli provocations and that he did not believe it was preparing for a second round of conflict.

He said Israel was trying to press new demands such as the deployment of UN forces at Beirut airport, at Lebanese ports and on Lebanon's border with Syria.

But he added: "Their displaced people are going back and they have started to rebuild the north. Someone who acts like that doesn't seem to be going to war. We are not heading to a second round."

Israel tried to destroy Hizbullah's military infrastructure in Lebanon but the Lebanese resistance movement was able to slow down its attempts to advance on the ground and to keep firing rockets into Israel until the truce.

Nasrallah said Hizbullah reserved the right to attack any Israeli forces inside Lebanese territory but would show restraint for the time being.

"If we responded to provocation, we would have violated UN Resolution 1701 and this could open the debate on a second resolution, which (US President George W.) Bush wants and which is connected with disarming the resistance," he said.

Hizbullah says it does not intend to disarm but Nasrallah said its guerrillas would not carry weapons in public when the Lebanese army and UN forces move into the south.

On Israel's massive response to the July 12 raid, he said Hizbullah had not expected one percent of it. "If I had known that the operation to capture the soldiers would lead to this result, we would not have carried it out," he said.

Israel was to seen to have suffered a major defeat in morale to its military for being held up by Hizbullah from achieving its objectives, and was widely condemned morally for its barbaric aggression on Lebanon and its civilians.