Hezbollah fighters build new line of defence

Rihan, Lebanon: The metal sign dangling from a shiny new chain reads: "Warning. Access to this area is forbidden. Hezbollah."

The notice strung between two concrete blocks on a hillside overlooking the Litani River, is just one indication that the Shiite fighters have relocated here to build a new line of defence.

Hezbollah's strengthening presence just across the Litani‚ the northern border of the zone UN peacekeeping forces and Lebanese troops have been policing since last summer's war between Hezbollah and Israeli‚ coincides with a series of land purchases here by a Shiite businessman with ties to the militant group and, critics say, with funds from Tehran.

While analysts say the military buildup does not necessarily signal any intention by the Iranian-supported militants to launch a fresh round of fighting, they say it is a troubling sign that Hezbollah is rearming just out of sight of the United Nations.

Regionally, say critics, that means Iran could be rebuilding its ally's military capability inside Lebanon and could strike again at Israel.

"If you have a major Iranian-American clash, one thing we fear is that the Iranian reaction could be from Lebanon," says Marwan Hamade, Leb-anon's telecommunications minister and political opponent of Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has chosen to abandon its former stronghold in Lebanon's UN-patrolled southern border district where its fighters withstood Israel's month-long onslaught last summer.

In that area, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) has swelled to six times its former size with reinforcements from Nato countries such as France, Italy, and Spain. They have been joined by some 20,000 Lebanese troops and together they man around 100 checkpoints and conduct 500 patrols day and night, Unifil officials say.

Arms caches

To be sure, Hezbollah's fighters continue to live in the southern border villages and keep a close eye on movements along the Israeli border and on the newly arrived European UN troops. But Unifil officials say that they have seen no armed fighters since September and that Hezbollah's former "security pockets" and bunkers have been abandoned.

"Some arms caches have been found, but they are from before the war. There have been no instances of attempts to smuggle weapons into the area," says Milos Strugar, Unifil's senior adviser.

But now, locals say, Hezbollah is seen more frequently in these remote hills just north of the Litani.

On a brush-covered hillside overlooking the Litani River, two Hezbollah fighters wearing camouflage uniforms and carrying rifles and walkie-talkies emerged from the bushes beside a stone track. They take the name of a visiting reporter and politely‚ but firmly‚ say that no entry is permitted into the area.