'Our Strength Comes From Having A Cause'

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How does American pressure on Iran and Syria affect Hizballah? We don't feel the current pressure from America or Israel is special. It's there every day. For us, it's normal. No pressure on other countries has any effect on us. Hizballah has its own issues relating to Israeli enmity. No one can tell Hizballah that we have to accept Israeli occupation. We're determined to liberate our land whatever the cost may be.

Have the war in Iraq and diplomatic pressure slowed the flow of weapons from Syria and Iran? Hizballah has no weapons shortage problem. They are available on the black market and can be gotten from the West, even American ones. Besides, the amount of weapons isn't important. There are those with far more than us, but they aren't as effective. Our strength comes from having a cause.

Muqtada al-Sadr, the young unschooled son of grand ayatullah mohammed sadiq al-sadr, is rallying Shi'ites to resistance in Iraq; other Shi'ite clerics oppose him. Who does Hizballah support? When Saddam's regime assassinated [al-Sadr's] father [in 1999], there was no opportunity for a clean handover of authority. People followed the young one because of heredity. He represents one of many Shi'ite factions in Iraq. We want the American occupiers to pull out of Iraq and demand that the Iraqi people oppose them. But it's up to the Iraqis themselves to decide on how to express their own interests. We don't interfere.

In recent years, with Hizballah in the Lebanese parliament, your calls for an Islamic republic have been muted. We believe an Islamic republic is the best for the people, but we cannot establish this unless the Lebanese people agree. The way Lebanon is made up doesn't allow for such a state, at least in the near future. We do believe we should advocate our position, but through dialogue, not the power of strength.

America and Israel, among others, see your preferred method not as dialogue but terrorism. Hizballah is in a state of defense, not offense. Israel does deeds that strengthen the will of all Arabs. By killing babies and destroying homes, they are driving even those who don't want to fight into a position where they have to.

But Hizballah remains a prime target of the U.S. war on terror. There is no real war on terror. What there is is America's wish to take control of the economics and politics of the whole region.

Who supported the Taliban? Who supported Saddam against Iran? All problems in the area stem from American support of Israel.