NICOSIA — Hizbullah claim its leadership survived the
war with Israel.
Hizbullah deputy secretary-general Naim Kassam said no member of the
organization's political bureau was killed. Kassam said the military
leadership has also survived, Middle East Newsline reported.
The Hizbullah claim came in wake of Israeli military assertions that
several military commanders were killed or seriously injured in an air
strike on Beirut in mid-July. Israeli officials also suggested that
Hizbullah intelligence chief Imad Mughniyeh was also hurt or killed.
Israel's military said 530 Hizbullah fighters were killed, about a third
of the militia's regular force. Hizbullah said about 70 members were killed.
"We evaluated the Hizbullah numbers that operated in squads, and their
regular force is a little over 1,000," Col. Shuki Shichrur, deputy chief of
Northern Command, said. "We killed about 550 terrorists, which is more or
less one third of Hizbullah's regular forces. It may not be critical
enough to bring about a complete cessation of attacks, but it is definitely
a hard blow."
"No one in a leadership position has been martyred even though we hope
to be martyrs one day," Kassem told Hizbullah's Al Manar television.
The Aug. 16 interview was the first by the deputy chief since the war
began on July 12. During the 33-day war, Hizbullah leaders were believed to
have remained underground to avoid Israeli strikes.
