Lebanon and Hizbullah have rejected the inclusion of the latter on the US terrorist list, in spite of the threat that Washington could target either or both with military action or sanctions once it achieves its objectives in Afghanistan.
Shaikh Naim Qassem, deputy head of the Hizbullah movement, said Washington was trying to show the Israelis that the US "is concerned about them" and to tell Lebanon to "surrender to US dictation".
In Shaikh Naim's view, Hizbullah is in a strong position to resist US pressure. "All Lebanese are behind the resistance," he said. "I believe [the US] will not succeed. Lebanese unity is very strong on the legitimacy of the Islamic resistance backed by the Arab countries."
He made a clear distinction between Hizbullah's resistance to Israeli occupation and the foreign adventures of al-Qaeda.
"What we practise now is fighting Israel in our land. We support the Palestinian struggle but in no concrete way. We do not fight against America."
He added: "Even our struggle against Israel did not go beyond Lebanon's legitimate border." He said this policy could change. "We have not declared anything about the future."
In the view of Dr Nizar Hamzeh, a professor at the American University of Beirut and author of a forthcoming book on the Hizbullah, the addition of the Hizbullah on the US list was a "major strategic mistake". It puts Washington on a collision course not only with the movement and Lebanon, but also with the Islamic world including Iran.
The Lebanese government cannot curb Hizbullah which has eight members in parliament and a network of hospitals, clinics, schools and public works agencies which serve the deprived.
The removal of services would cause a "class revolution", Dr Hamzeh stated.
In any case, Beirut cannot freeze Hizbullah's bank accounts which have been safeguarded by "creative accounting", Dr Hamzeh stated.
Hizbullah's charitable institutions are financially linked to comparable organisations in Iran, making it impossible to isolate Hizbullah's assets. The US has grouped Shia Hizbullah with militant Sunni organisations, unifying them and vindicating those who claim Washington is waging war on Islam, Dr Hamzeh observed. Washington also placed "Hizbullah on the same footing as al-Qaeda."
AFP adds: The leader of Lebanon's Hizbullah, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, accused the US of "treating Hizbullah as terrorists at the demand of Israel. They tell us we are terrorists because we threaten Israel's security.
"We will pursue the resistance against the Israeli occupation," Sheikh Nasrallah said at a tribute last night to the late Syrian president, Mr Hafez Assad.
