JERUSALEM, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Israel intends to kill Hezbollah militia leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, a senior Israeli commander says.
And despite a cease-fire agreement, Israel will also do what it feels necessary to keep Iran and Syria from rearming Hezbhollah, the commander says.
In a New York Times story published Sunday, the officer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said Israel would continue to seek out and block arms shipments for Hezbollah from Syria and Iran, as it says it did in its commando raid Saturday.
He also said the 45-year-old Nasrallah, Hezbollah's secretary-general, "must die."
Nasrallah is regarded as a hero in much of the Muslim world. Pro-Syrian Lebanese President Emile Lahoud praised him and Hezbollah last week for what he called their "victory" over Israel.
The Israeli official told the Times he considered the recent Israeli-Hezbollah war to have severely diminished Hezbollah's fighting ability.
