[Fitzcarraldo]

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/742561.html

Hezbollah leader: Didn't expect such strong reaction to abductions

By Yuval Azoulay, Amos Harel, Yoav Stern, and News Agencies

BEIRUT, Lebanon - A senior Hezbollah official said Tuesday the guerrilla group did not expect Israel to react so strongly to its capture of two Israel Defense Forces soldiers on July 12.

Mahmoud Komati, the deputy chief of the Hezbollah politburo, also told The Associated Press that his group will not lay down arms.

"The truth is - let me say this clearly - we didn't even expect (this) response.... that (Israel) would exploit this operation for this big war against us," said Komati. Advertisement He said Hezbollah had expected "the usual, limited response" from Israel. In the past, he said, Israeli responses to Hezbollah actions included sending in commandos into Lebanon and kidnapping Hezbollah officials or briefly targeting specific Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon. He said his group had anticipated there would be negotiations on the exchange of the soldiers with three Lebanese prisoners in Israeli jails, with Germany acting as a mediator as it did before.

[tcrlaf]

OOPSY!!!
Guess they miscalculated, eh??

Saddam being gone changes EVERYTHING, doesn't it?

[Soul Seeker]

He said his group had anticipated there would be negotiations on the exchange of the soldiers with three Lebanese prisoners in Israeli jails, with Germany acting as a mediator as it did before.

I guess they missed the fact elections took place and Merkel was elected. Changes the dynamic somewhat, I'd say. I really don't know how far she'd go in either direction, we're going to find out, but one thing I'm fairly confident in is that she wouldn't be as accomodating as the previous government.

[redgolum]

Hezbollah leader: Didn't expect such strong reaction to abductions

Poke a dog to many times with a sharp stick, and he will bite. Looks like Hezbollah didn't learn that lesson.

[GOP_Proud]

< "The truth is - let me say this clearly - we didn't even expect (this) response.... that (Israel) would exploit this operation for this big war against us," said Komati. Advertisement He said Hezbollah had expected "the usual, limited response" from Israel. In the past, he said, Israeli responses to Hezbollah actions included sending in commandos into Lebanon and kidnapping Hezbollah officials or briefly targeting specific Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon. He said his group had anticipated there would be negotiations on the exchange of the soldiers with three Lebanese prisoners in Israeli jails, with Germany acting as a mediator as it did before.
>

Heh...heh...heh...