Lebanese leader:
Israel started it

Druze leader Walid Jumblatt (radiofarda.com)

JERUSALEM – Even though the United Nations Security Council and much of the international community last week blamed Hezbollah for starting clashes at the Lebanese border with Israel 10 days ago, Lebanon's Druze leader told WND in an exclusive interview yesterday the Jewish state initiated the conflict and said Hezbollah must maintain its weapons to "deter Israeli aggression."

"The violation and the conflict at the border was absolutely started with the Israeli side," said Walid Jumblatt, a senior Lebanese parliament member and leader of the country's significant Druze population. "You need to look at not only the events immediately before the clashes, but at the ongoing violations of Lebanese airspace and the Israeli aggressive acts at the border."

Jumblatt spoke to WND from his mountain compound outside Beirut.

Hezbollah 10 days ago shot dozens of Katyusha rockets and mortars from its positions in southern Lebanon into Israeli communities at Har Dov, near Israel's border with Syria and Lebanon in the largest attack since Israel withdrew from positions inside the Lebanese border in 2000.

A group of Hezbollah terrorists also shot at Jewish farmers and attempted to storm an Israeli Defense Forces outpost, reportedly to kidnap civilians or soldiers to exchange them for Hezbollah prisoners being held by Israel. In response to the attacks, Israel shelled Hezbollah positions and dropped leaflets into Beirut warning against continued Hezbollah aggression.

Israel's northern border with Lebanon had been on high alert two weeks prior to the attacks, with intelligence officials warning information indicated Hezbollah was planning to attack Israeli towns in a bid to draw Israel into a conflict.

A senior security official told WND Syria, which funds Hezbollah, is "being internationally isolated and is under extreme fire" because of the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in February, for which Damascus has been blamed in a recent U.N. report.

"Syria needs a distraction," the official said, "they need a conflict with Israel."

The U.N. last week blamed Hezbollah for starting the clashes, stating the militia fired first and provoked Israeli to retaliate. The U.N. statement reiterated Security Council Resolution 1559, which calls on Lebanon to disarm all militias, including Hezbollah.

But Jumblatt told WND "as long as Israel is a threat and continues to violate Lebanese territory, Hezbollah is needed."

Jumblatt also commented on a claim this week by a key witness for the U.N.'s Hariri probe that he was bribed into testifying against Syria.

"It's all lies orchestrated by a desperate Damascus," said Jumblatt of claims by former Syrian intelligence agent Hosam Taher Hosam, who said Monday he was bribed by Hariri's son, Saad, to falsely implicate Syrian and Lebanese officials in the assassination plot.

"It's a pathetic stunt by Syria to discredit the probe and it will not work," said Jumblatt.

In statements to the media, Hosam also accused Jumblatt of bribing other Lebanese and Syrian witnesses.

Said Jumblatt: "I have never been to the places Hosam claims I was and never spoke to the people he lies about and says I met with. All baseless accusations."

Asked if he thinks Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime will last another year, Jumblatt said "I haven't talked about a regime change. Let the people decide who they want ruling them. All I ask for is that the murderers of Rafiq Hariri be brought to justice."

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