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Recognised as a "resistance" group against "Israel" by Lebanese law, Hizbullah rearms and bides time

Recognised as a
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Recognised as a Source: usnews, 7-12-2007
BEIRUT - The signs warn outsiders not to enter the new "security zone" just north of Lebanon's Litani River. Ignoring that prohibition draws a quick visit from a bearded young man on a motorcycle who is polite but firm: No foreigners are allowed in this area without permission from Hizbullah's press office, a request the group is not likely to grant.
There is a good reason why the Lebanese (occupation resistance) movement wants to avoid prying eyes. Hizbullah, by various accounts, is establishing new bunkers, arms caches, and other military positions, replacing those it lost a few miles to the south after the 2006 war with "Israel". For years, Hizbullah controlled the rock-strewn hills south of the Litani River to the "Israeli" border. As part of a cease-fire, some 13,500 United Nations peacekeepers and 15,000 Lebanese troops now patrol southernmost Lebanon, creating a buffer zone south of the Litani.
Cause for concern. As new "Israeli"-Palestinian peace talks get underway, "Israeli" officials have reason to be concerned about developments in Lebanon, where Hizbullah's leaders vow no letup in their defense against the Zionist state. The group is building up positions just north of the Litani River. The location puts Hizbullah's paramilitary force still within range to fire rockets at "Israel" but away from the prying eyes of the U.N. peacekeepers and Lebanese Army. The location also overlaps routes to the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, which has been the supply point for clandestine arms trafficking and training and logistics bases.
Hizbullah officials openly brag about the rebuilding without disclosing specifics, a common Hizbullah public-relations tactic that makes it hard to separate fact from bluster. "Of course we were able to rearm, and why shouldn't we? We are a legitimate occupation resistance of Lebanon and are currently the main force capable of protecting the people from "Israel". We have also added many new fighters since the war, but I won't tell you what new weapons we have, I just promise we have them," says one Hizbullah commander who has been a reliable, if vague, source of information in the past.
Regional intelligence officials confirm the rearming and point to Hizbullah's access to high-tech weaponry and training. In many cases, the group has been equipped with the latest generations of Russian-made weaponry, which allowed it to successfully fight the "Israeli" military directly in 2006 instead of relying on the guerrilla tactics that forced "Israel" from southern Lebanon in 2000 after 18 years of occupation. "Israel" has complained to the United Nations that Hizbullah's new arsenal includes rockets with a range of 155 miles, capable of hitting Tel Aviv. "They have what they need to fight and the expertise to use it. They're brilliant at adapting weaponry to their tactics and vice versa," said a regional intelligence official earlier this year. "The war changed nothing."
At this point, Hizbullah is caught up in a domestic power struggle with Lebanon's western-backed government led by Prime Minister Fuad Siniora, which wants Hizbullah fighters disarmed or incorporated into the Army. Hizbullah asserts it is not required to disarm since Lebanese law recognizes it as a "resistance" group against "Israel", not a militia.
Analysts don't anticipate Hizbullah's instigating a new war with "Israel" in the near term. But many were caught by surprise when a cross-border Hizbullah attack on an "Israeli" patrol set off the war in July 2006.