In its most recent display of power politics, five ministers in the Lebanese government affiliated with the Shi'ite Hizbullah and Amal organizations announced their resignations on Saturday. Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said that he would reject any formal notice of resignation by the legislators.
The two Shi'ite factions released a statement, read on Hizbullah's Al-Manar television station, saying that their ministers resigned after talks on forming a broad-based national unity government broke off because the ruling faction was trying to impose conditions on the negotiations. However, the Shi'ite militias are seeking at least a one-third representation in the cabinet, which would effectively give them governmental veto power. The majority parties in the government rejected the arrangement.
Quoted by the Reuters news agency, Hizbullah Deputy Naim Kassam stated that the resignations are just a first step in advancing their movement's agenda. Additional steps are to follow, Kassam warned. Such "other steps" were made explicit by Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an October 31 address broadcast over Al-Manar, during which he threatened to call his supporters into the streets for as long as it takes to achieve his organization's political goal of increased government power. Shi'ite leaders intimated a Monday deadline for the initiation of demonstrations.
According to Israel's National Security Advisor Giora Eiland, the internal Lebanese political confrontation will likely keep the Hizbullah too busy to launch another attack on Israel in the near future. In a statement released on Sunday, Eiland further explained that Hizbullah took a significant beating in this summer's war with Israel, and needs time to recuperate.
Echoing this assessment, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a Newsweek-Washington Post interviewer ahead of his trip to Washington on Sunday, "I think Israel had a strategic, military and political success. ...Now if you ask Nasrallah if he would want to repeat [the war with Israel], I’m sure his answer would be definitely not. ...I know for sure through different sources that Hizbullah was close to total surrender."
On the other hand, Israeli military intelligence warned government officials that the Hizbullah may launch a new assault as early as the spring of 2007. According to IDF assessments, Hizbullah today has more rockets than the terrorist group had before the start of the recent war in Lebanon. Nasrallah also recently boasted on Al-Manar television that he controls at least 30,000 rockets, sufficient for a five-month campaign.
The two Shi'ite factions released a statement, read on Hizbullah's Al-Manar television station, saying that their ministers resigned after talks on forming a broad-based national unity government broke off because the ruling faction was trying to impose conditions on the negotiations. However, the Shi'ite militias are seeking at least a one-third representation in the cabinet, which would effectively give them governmental veto power. The majority parties in the government rejected the arrangement.
Quoted by the Reuters news agency, Hizbullah Deputy Naim Kassam stated that the resignations are just a first step in advancing their movement's agenda. Additional steps are to follow, Kassam warned. Such "other steps" were made explicit by Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an October 31 address broadcast over Al-Manar, during which he threatened to call his supporters into the streets for as long as it takes to achieve his organization's political goal of increased government power. Shi'ite leaders intimated a Monday deadline for the initiation of demonstrations.
According to Israel's National Security Advisor Giora Eiland, the internal Lebanese political confrontation will likely keep the Hizbullah too busy to launch another attack on Israel in the near future. In a statement released on Sunday, Eiland further explained that Hizbullah took a significant beating in this summer's war with Israel, and needs time to recuperate.
Echoing this assessment, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a Newsweek-Washington Post interviewer ahead of his trip to Washington on Sunday, "I think Israel had a strategic, military and political success. ...Now if you ask Nasrallah if he would want to repeat [the war with Israel], I’m sure his answer would be definitely not. ...I know for sure through different sources that Hizbullah was close to total surrender."
On the other hand, Israeli military intelligence warned government officials that the Hizbullah may launch a new assault as early as the spring of 2007. According to IDF assessments, Hizbullah today has more rockets than the terrorist group had before the start of the recent war in Lebanon. Nasrallah also recently boasted on Al-Manar television that he controls at least 30,000 rockets, sufficient for a five-month campaign.