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Hezbollah Releases Details of Seizing Israeli Colonel
Lebanese Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah held a news conference in the guerrilla group's headquarters in south Beirut Monday, revealing details of seizing an Israeli colonel.
This followed Nasrallah's announcement on Sunday that his fighters captured a reserve Israeli colonel, a Mossad secret service officer.
He said that Hezbollah seized the Israeli spy in Lebanon, who flew to Belgium with Israeli passport and came to Lebanon with a fake foreign passport. "He was carrying out a secret mission in Lebanon that was aimed against Hezbollah," Nasrallah said.
He denied the rumors that the capture took place in Switzerland. "We set a trap and incited him to come here," he added, "he was a spy so we have the right to capture him in Lebanon because we still have war with Israel."
The colonel, identified by Israel as Elhanan Tannenbaum, has family in Tel Aviv and does not settle in a European country. He took part in the invasion of Lebanon in 1978 when he was a brigadier, according to Nasrallah's statement.
Israel said Tannnenbaum is a businessman and was on a personal trip abroad, and denied the reservist has been working for its intelligence apparatus.
Nasrallah said Hezbollah, or the Party of God, will be responsible for any result while other organizations and countries have nothing to do with the capture operation.
Tannenbaum was the fourth Israeli seized by Hezbollah in a week. The guerrillas took three Israeli soldiers captive in an ambush in the disputed eastern Shebaa Farms on October 7.
Israel held Lebanon and Syria responsible for the safe return of the kidnapped soldiers, and threatened reprisals.
"We are always ready if Israel would like to open a war," Nasrallah said.
He admitted that the door of swapping Israeli captives with Arab detainees in Israeli prisons is still open. But he confirmed that he has not found a serious and safe channel to contact with Israel.
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