Nasrallah promises 'very big action' against government

Beirut: Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah promised on Friday that his opposition alliance would intensify its campaign to bring down the government, pledging to mount an "effective" action in the coming days.

In an interview with his group's Al Manar television, Nasrallah said Hezbollah's consultations with its allies were drawing to a close and they would release a statement shortly that spelled out the steps to be taken.

"I believe this action will be effective, very important and very big," he said. He would not divulge the plan but urged all Lebanese to support it.

Hezbollah and its allies have staged street protests and sit-ins, camping outside the prime minister's office, since December 1 in a bid to topple the government of Fuad Siniora.

Newspapers have said if Hezbollah steps up the campaign, it is likely to employ tactics such as a general strike and the blocking of major roads. When asked if the opposition would close roads, Beirut port or airport, Nasrallah declined to respond.

He said the campaign would remain non-violent, as has generally been the case. One person was shot dead in a street clash, but the protests have been largely peaceful.

The opposition, which includes Shiite Muslim groups Hezbollah and Amal and Christian leader Michel Aoun, has been demanding veto power in the government and is now calling for early parliamentary elections.

"After the failure of political initiatives, the opposition has decided to escalate its campaign," the source said. "It will call a comprehensive general strike for Tuesday."

An opposition source said "complete paralysis will afflict the country including the main, essential, public facilities, among them the port and the airport". The politicians who control government claim the opposition is trying to mount what they call a coup that would allow more Syrian and Iranian influence.

Nasrallah said Hezbollah would never use weapons in its political struggle in Lebanon, repeating that the group's arms were for fighting Israel.

He said the resignation of Israel's military chief proved that his group had won the July-August war with Israel, and forecast that the country's defense and prime ministers would also have to resign.

"It is natural and logical that (Israeli Defense Minister Amir) Peretz should fall. I expect him to resign. He will be the next victim," Nasrallah said in the telivision interview .

He predicted that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would also pay the price of Israel's failure to crush Hezbollah and secure the release of its soldiers in the 34-day war.

"In the end, (Olmert) will either resign or be overthrown," Nasrallah said.

He said the deterrent power of the Israeli armed forces had "collapsed."

"There is a crisis of confidence in the Israeli army, unprecedented since its inception," he said.

Asked about reports of the falling popularity of himself and Hezbollah in the Arab world, Nasrallah claimed there was a deliberate campaign to discredit his party. Nasrallah and Hezbollah's members are Shiite Muslims whereas most Arabs belong to the Sunni Muslim sect.

"We are not sectarian-motivated," he said. Nasrallah sought to allay Lebanese fears that Hezbollah's campaign to bring down the government of Prime Minister Saniora, a Sunni, was aimed at replacing him with a non-Sunni.

"We will stick to the current formula," Nasrallah said, referring to the power-sharing system under which the president is a Maronite Catholic, the prime minister a Sunni and the parliament speaker is a Shiite.

The pro-Syrian Hezbollah and its allies - in all six ministers quit the Cabinet in November after the failure of talks in which they demanded more power.

Nasrallah, who was seen as a hero during the war, has lost support and has come under fire from Saniora and pro-government groups for his attempt to topple the government and change the distribution of power. He has also been sharply criticized by the United States, which lists Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.

Hezbollah was criticised for its silence over the hanging of Saddam Hussein by the Shiite-dominated Iraqi government last month, a move that fueled Sunni-Shiite tension. The former Iraqi dictator was a Sunni and he was taunted by Shiites as he stood on the gallows.

Nasrallah said on Friday that not all Shiites should be blamed for the execution. He called on Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki to "have the courage to clarify the American role, details and decision to execute" Saddam.