By ZEINA KARAM
The Associated Press
Wednesday, July 12, 2006; 6:10 PM
BEIRUT, Lebanon -- Hezbollah's leader vowed that only a prisoner swap will win the release of two Israeli soldiers after a cross-border attack Wednesday that showed the guerrilla group _ and its backers Iran and Syria _ still have the power to reignite a spiral of violence in the volatile region.
The capture of the soldiers fulfills a longtime promise by Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah to snatch Israelis and swap them for the remaining three Lebanese prisoners held by Israel _ boosting his standing among followers. Eight other Israeli soldiers were killed in the raid.
Nasrallah was smiling and confident at a press conference in his stronghold in south Beirut as he dubbed the raid as "Operation Truthful Promise" and sent a message to the Lebanese held by Israel: "You are now on the road to freedom."
"The (Israeli) prisoners will not return home except through one way _ indirect negotiations and a trade," he said. "Nobody in the whole world can return them home except through a (prisoners) exchange."
Hezbollah guerrillas crossed the border and launched a surprise attack on two Israeli Humvees, killing three soldiers, wounding two and capturing the two others, the Israeli army said.
Israel quickly sent armored vehicles over the border on a rescue mission, but one of the tanks rolled over a mine, killing the four soldiers inside and sparking a battle that killed another soldier, the army said.
Israel sent warplanes deep into southern Lebanon _ targeting bridges, roads and Hezbollah positions. Two Lebanese civilians and a Hezbollah fighter were killed.
Jubilant residents of south Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, and Palestinians in the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp fired their guns in the air and set off firecrackers for hours after hearing about the kidnapping.
The raid strengthens the Shiite guerrilla group's image around the Arab world as the strongest anti-Israeli force, helping Palestinian Hamas-linked militants in Gaza who are locked in a parallel standoff with Israel since the kidnapping of an Israeli soldier on June 25.
Hamas leaders cheered the Hezbollah move and spoke of possible coordination of their demands for prisoner releases by Israel.
But the daring attack runs risks. Criticism of Hezbollah has grown in Lebanon the past year and could increase if Israel escalates its military retaliation and there is no swap. Already, bridges and roads have been destroyed all over southern Lebanon as Israel stepped up pressure.
Nasrallah said the kidnapping of Israeli soldiers had been plotted for the past five months, calling the move "our natural right and the only logical way ... to highlight internationally the suffering of thousands of Lebanese, Palestinian and Arab prisoners in Israeli jails."
Israeli holds an estimated 9,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Nasrallah said he was open to a package deal in which the two Israeli soldiers along with the third held by the Palestinians would be traded for Arab prisoners beyond just the three Lebanese.
"If we have in our hands prisoners and can win the release of Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian, Jordanian and Arab prisoners ... but we say 'No, we just want Lebanese,' then this is inhumane," he said.
But beyond the issue of a prisoner swap, the operation Wednesday shows both Syria and Iran, through their support of Hezbollah, still have major cards to play to pressure the United States and the West.
It comes at a time when both of Hezbollah's main patrons are at loggerheads with the international community. Iran has been locked in a dispute with the West over its nuclear program, which the United States, Israel and the European Union all suspect is aimed at developing weapons.
Syria has clashed with the West over its support for Palestinian militants _ including the sheltering of Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal _ as well as its suspected role in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafik Hariri. The U.S. also accuses Damascus of doing too little to prevent insurgents crossing its border into Iraq to fight a U.S.-led coalition.
The White House blamed Syria and Iran for the kidnapping of the two Israeli soldiers, though Syrian Vice President Farouk al-Sharaa denied any role.
Analysts said the Hezbollah operation could not be separated from events in Gaza, Syria and Iran. "It relieves Hamas of some of the pressure and aims at establishing a new balance of power in the region, a strategic balance of terror," said Bechara Charbel, editor in chief of Lebanon's Al-Balad daily.
The move risks deepening divisions within the Arab world. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a top U.S. ally, expressed impatience with Syria on Wednesday, implicitly accusing it of scuttling his efforts to win the release of the Israeli held by the Palestinians.
And within Lebanon, there are dangerous fault lines. Lebanese leaders have been split over international pressure to disarm Hezbollah, though so far they have rejected such a move. The Lebanese government, which includes two Hezbollah ministers but is dominated by anti-Syrians, distanced itself from the operation and rejected blame for the soldiers' kidnapping.