Hezbollah rules out war

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Oct. 25 (UPI) -- Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said many of the region's problems were because of Western meddling but stressed war wasn't an option.

"The first threat in the region is the existence of Israel especially that Israel wants to be a pure racist Jewish state," he said during an interview on Hezbollah's al-Manar news station. "The second threat is the presence of the United States in the region."

Israel and Hezbollah went to war in 2006 after Hezbollah fired on Israeli positions and captured two soldiers. The conflict ended with a U.N.-brokered cease-fire, though Israeli border incursions and Hezbollah's weapons remain points of contention.

Nasrallah went on to say the wave of revolutions in the region had little to do with U.S. influence. The United States, he said, "started interfering in the revolutions to minimize their losses and preserve a role for them."

Hezbollah after the 2006 conflict emerged with more political influence in the Lebanese government. Prime Minister Najib Mikati is seen as a close ally.

Nasrallah stressed that his Shiite movement would confront its adversaries, however, "with public awareness."

"I cannot say that Israel won't wage war but given preparations in Lebanon by people, army, and resistance, I can rule out war on Lebanon," he said.