Until now Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group, has refused to reveal much about its response to Israel’s assault. But in an exclusive interview with The Sunday Times yesterday, Sheikh Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s second in command, spoke out — and attacked Britain for allowing US planes carrying bombs to Israel to transit through a British airport.

“The transportation of American weapons to Israel is a blatant scandal of America’s full involvement in the battle,” he said, “and flying them over London bears large responsibility over Britain.

“Instead of working on solving the continuous conflicts in the Middle East, the powerful nations are participating in intensifying and complicating the issues. This is dangerous for peace, and for future relationships between this region and these countries.”

Qassem, a founding member of Hezbollah in 1992 and deputy general secretary, claimed Sheikh Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s leader, has remained in Lebanon and has not taken refuge outside the country as has been rumoured.

“The Israelis have said several times that they were targeting the general secretary and some of his leadership in bunkers because they are certain that they are indeed in Lebanon. Hezbollah’s leadership is used to being in the field.”

Qassem admitted Hezbollah had been preparing for conflict since Israel withdrew from south Lebanon in 2000. He claimed it had not been convinced that Israel’s aspirations in Lebanon were over, despite its withdrawal.

“The fact that Israel kept the Shebaa Farms (a strip of disputed land on the border), held on to the prisoners and its continuous reconnaissance flights over Lebanon were all indications of its aggressive intentions towards Lebanon,” he said.

Hezbollah’s stockpiling of arms and preparation of numerous bunkers and tunnels over the past six years have been key to its resistance. “If it was not for these preparations Lebanon would have been defeated within hours,” he said.

Hezbollah is believed to be in possession of four types of advanced missile: Fajr missiles with a range of 100 kilometres; Iran 130 missiles with a range of 110km; and Shahin missiles and 355mm rockets with ranges of 150km. He said that Hezbollah will use its weapons to strike deep into Israel should the attacks in Lebanon continue.

“Had (Nasrallah) wanted to name the rockets and cities that can be targeted he would have mentioned those in his statements.

“For now we shall refrain from giving details and let Israel deduce what it wants from this,” he said.

Qassem refused to reveal Hezbollah’s position on issues such as the deployment of international forces across south Lebanon before an unconditional cessation of Israeli aggression against Lebanon and the return of displaced people to their villages and towns.

“There is no other solution now but for an unconditional ceasefire after which all other political issues will be discussed in and through the right channels,” Qassem said.

Hezbollah leaders have agreed to join a Lebanese government peace proposal.

The plan does not include a new multinational force favoured by Tony Blair and President George W Bush. Instead, it calls for beefing up the existing, but ineffective, 2,000 member United Nations force already in place in the south.

The Lebanese proposal, which calls for an immediate ceasefire, also does not directly address the issue of disarmament that Israel, the United States and Britain consider essential to any settlement. Instead it offers a prisoner exchange for the two Israel soldiers captured by Hezbollah on July 12.

The plan further calls for the Lebanese government to exercise full control over its southern region and for the UN security council to put the contested Shebaa Farms under the jurisdiction of the UN.

Qassem said that Hezbollah would not discuss disarmament. It “is not an issue up for negotiation at this stage”, he said.

For Bush and Blair, however, disarmament and the removal of Hezbollah’s weapons are key. They believe that no lasting peace can be achieved while Israel faces the threat of rockets being fired at its towns and cities and of Hezbollah raids targeting its soldiers on the border.

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