BEIRUT, Lebanon, Jan. 15 (UPI) -- The strength of the Lebanese people lies in resistance and the solidarity of its army and people, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said Friday.
Nasrallah in a video address to a pro-resistance conference in Beirut said Israel feared military action in Beirut for the first time in history.
"For the first time, Israel fears the military option and talks about the victory guaranteed in any upcoming war," he said in statements published by Hezbollah's al-Manar news station.
The Lebanese government in defiance of U.N. resolutions passed a measure that lets Hezbollah maintain an armed resistance in the face of a persistent Israeli threat.
Lawmakers continue to debate the issue, saying the threat from Israel would subside if Hezbollah abandoned its weapons. The United Nations, for its part, complained of repeated Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace. Israel claims justification based on Hezbollah militancy.
A 2006 U.N.-backed cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah reminds Israel of its obligation to respect Lebanese sovereignty while calling on Hezbollah to disarm.
Hezbollah secured several positions in the Lebanese government that emerged in the wake of June parliamentary elections. Nasrallah said he considered this an endorsement of the resistance.
"The choice of resistance is a true, logical and victorious one," he said.
