'Our Strength Comes From Having A Cause'

Though it is deemed a terrorist organization by, among others, the U.S., Israel, Canada and Australia, the Lebanon-based Islamic militant group Hizballah is close to finalizing a dramatic prisoner swap with its arch-enemy, Israel. The deal would free several hundred Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, Jordanian and Tunisian prisoners in exchange for kidnapped Israeli businessman Elhanan Tannenbaum and the bodies of three Israeli soldiers.

Brokering an exchange of such scope would enhance Hizballah's luster in an Arab world desperate for heroes. Hizballah deputy secretary-general Sheik Naim Qassem wouldn't discuss the swap when he met last week with TIME's James Graff in a secret location in southern Beirut. But he suggested that his organization would be front and center in other ways in the caldron of conflict from Palestine to Iraq.

Why didn't Hizballah respond when the Israelis bombed an alleged terrorist training camp in Syria, your ally? We issued a statement that Lebanon should keep an eye on developments in Syria. Sharon is dragging the whole region into an abyss. Certainly if such aggression is repeated, there would be a response. It is not in Sharon's power to guarantee the results. People in southern Lebanon say they're tired of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians being waged around their homes. You cannot take a position from limited samples. We believe a big majority of Lebanese want us to liberate their land and to work for the liberation of Palestine. We will continue the fight as long as Israel remains in Palestine.

Since the Israeli military withdrew from southern Lebanon in May 2000, the only Lebanese land arguably under occupation is the Shebaa Farms, an uninhabited patch along the poorly defined border between Lebanon and Syria. that's not much of a cause to inspire the Lebanese, is it? The cause of resistance hasn't lessened since 2000, it's increased. The Lebanese don't look at the size of Shebaa Farms, but at the size of the daily threat from Israel. In the last three years there have been 8,100 violations of Lebanese airspace. [He computes on a calculator on the table in front of him.] That's an average of seven per day.

But what difference has your resistance made for southern Lebanon? There are many examples. When the Lebanese government installed pumps [last year] to divert water from the Hasbani River before it flows into Israel, the Israelis threatened an attack to stop it. If not for fear of our resistance, they would have carried out those threats. We clearly matter to Israel. Every few days there's another statement from some Israeli official about wanting to destroy Hizballah from the roots.