BEIRUT - Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Sunday he was "optimistic" about an Israeli withdrawal soon from the Shebaa Farms border territories claimed by Lebanon.
"I am optimistic that Israel will soon withdraw from the Shebaa Farms," Nasrallah told reporters.
Hezbollah, which was instrumental in leading to the May 2000 Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon after 22 years of occupation, continues to lead attacks on Israeli troops in the Shebaa Farms.
The territory, seized by Israel from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war, is claimed by Beirut with Damascus' approval.
Nasrallah said "the (Hezbollah) resistance's mission and role is not just for the liberation of the Shebaa Farms, but to join the Lebanese army in defending Lebanon as long as Israel agresses and violates its sovereignty."
The international community is calling for the implementaton of UN Security Council Resolution 1559 which demands the immediate pullout of foreign troops from Lebanon and the disarming of militias on its territories.
"We have the right to reject the international resolution because it is a blatant interference in our internal affairs and all its clauses are free services to the Israeli enemy," said Nasrallah.
Hezbollah was theoretically the only militia allowed to retain its arms after the end of the country's 1975-1990 civil war because it was considered a resistance movement.
03/06/2005 15:04 GMT