Azerbaijan, Baku, 18 July / Trend corr. U.Sadikhova/Lebanese are not afraid that unequal exchange of dead POWs for live ones between Lebanese group Hezbollah and Israel will result in new military clashes.
"I do not think Israel will agree to restore military operations with Hezbollah after exchange of live Lebanese POWs for dead Israeli soldiers," Spokesperson for Lebanese Amal party [Amal's ideology is close to that of Hezbollah] Talal Hatoum said to Trend in a telephone conversation from Beirut.
High-ranking servicemen of the Israeli defence army stated that the war with Hezbollah may be resumed in near weeks, Israeli newspaper Ha-Aretz reported on 16 July.
According to independent Lebanese expert Salem Zuhayri, military operations may start not because of murder of Israeli soldiers, but due to Golan Heights. Hezbollah has already put a dot in the war with Israel, after exchanging 5 POWs for 2 dead Israeli soldiers.
American political scientist David W. Lesch also thinks unequal exchange will not lead to a war.
"Despite the old wounds the exchange has unearthed, it is, in my opinion, reflective of the improving landscape in Lebanon and the peace talks between Israel and Syria, and an Israeli-Syrian peace will, the Israelis hope, rein in Hizbullah," David Lesch, professor of Middle East History in the Department of History and Coordinator of the Middle East Concentration in the International Studies Program at Trinity University in San Antonio, said to Trend via e-mail on 17 July.
POW exchange between Hezbollah and Israel took place at Lebanon-Israel frontier Nakura on 16 July. Israel exchanged five Lebanese soldiers for the bodies of two Israeli ones. According to analysts, the exchange must put a dot in Lebanon-Israel war, which commenced in 2006 and has killed about 155 Israelis and over 1,600 Lebanese.
Although, the sides to the conflict are experiencing a new stage of negotiations, several Arab experts prefer weapons instead of talks.
According to Arab political scientist Zuhayri, Hezbollah has proved that Arab-Israeli conflict must be solved not via UN or Ankara, but through weapons and force. "Hezbollah is the first amongst Arab resistance organizations to prove it is able to win Israel," Zuhayri said to Trend in a telephone conversation from London on 17 July.
Israeli expert Mordekhai Kedar said Tel-Aviv would not coolly watch weapon supplies to Lebanon from Iran.
" Iran and Syria have intensified weapon and funds supply to Hezbollah," Kedar, a political scientist in the Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies at the Israeli Bar-Ilan University, said to Trend . According to him, Israel will not allow and will not stand Hezbollah renewing its rocket arsenal which reduced during the war.
" Israel must take required military and diplomatic measures to prevent weapon flow to Lebanon," Kedar said.
According to Kedar, weapons supply can lead to resumption of military actions between Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel.
Hatoum said Lebanon can cut short any aggression from Israel. " Lebanon has full right to repulse Israel's attacks and will always enjoy this right," he said to Trend in a telephone conversation from Beirut on 17 July.
"POW exchange between the two countries must not be considered as rapprochement between Hezbollah and Israel," said Hatoum.
"According to our views, any cooperation with Zionists is a sin. Therefore, we acted properly with them," said Hatoum.
E.Tariverdiyeva, R.Hafizoglu ( Baku); R.Abdullayev ( Israel) also contributed to the article.
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