Hezbollah's deputy leader said on Sunday that Israel's decision to hold nation-wide military exercises this week was intended to prepare for a new war on Lebanon.
Sheik Naim Kassem also warned Sunday that the Islamic militant group was fully ready to defend Lebanon if Israel attacks again.
The decision to hold the largest-ever emergency drill in Israel's history was not caused by fears of escalation on the borders with Syria and Lebanon, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said during a Knesset meeting on Sunday.
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Olmert said the goal of the exercises is only to check the ability of the various areas of the Home Front Command to carry out their responsibilities, and has nothing to do with expectations of renewed fighting in the North.
"Israel is not expecting any violent clashes in the North," Olmert said, adding that the Syrians "know they have no reason to assess the drill any differently."
Olmert added that Israel has "an interest in holding peace talks with Syria, who know full well what our expectations are, just as we know theirs."
The widespread, week-long civil defense drill began on Sunday, after a briefing by the commander of the exercise, Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai.
The operative part of the drill commences on Monday. It will include, among other scenarios, a simulated missile attack on civilian areas - some with chemical warheads.
Participating in the drill are the Home Front Command, the national emergency authority, government ministries and emergency services.
The Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson on Sunday said the aim of the exercise is "to prepare the different services and institutes operating in the civilian environment for various emergency situations," adding that the exercise was "not planned in relation to any current events".
At 10 A.M. on Tuesday a siren will be sounded throughout the country and children from kindergarten up will practice emergency procedures. State employees are also expected to drill emergency procedures at their workplaces.
Immediately afterward, local governments will join the exercise, following instructions that will be distributed on the spot.
The exercise will continue throughout the week, with scenarios that include a simulated hazardous material spill in the Haifa Bay, the rescue of survivors from a collapsed building in the Meron and Nazareth areas and the firing of ground-to-ground missiles equipped with chemical warheads.
During the exercise, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Ehud Barak are to conduct situation reviews and to make decisions based on the various scenarios as they unfold.
Hezbollah's southern Lebanon commander on Saturday was quoted as saying the militant group will "follow closely" the drill.
"Israel's military drill is not a testament of its strength but of its frustration and despair following its defeat in the Second Lebanon War," Hezbollah television al-Manar quoted Nabil Kauk as saying.
According to Lebanese security sources, Hezbollah has put its militants in a state of full alert ahead of Sunday's maneuvers.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Siniora on Friday called on the Lebanese army to raise its alert level, fearing that Israel may exploit the major military exercise to violate his country's sovereignty, Israel Radio reported Saturday.
Siniora asked United Nations peacekeepers tasked with monitoring the border, "to be careful" that Israel will not utilize its large-scale civil defense drill "to launch operations capable of increasing tension," a statement from his office said.
He also urged the Lebanese army to "be extremely vigilant and take the necessary measures to protect Lebanese civilians and face up to any Israeli violation."
Lebanese Army commander General Michel Suleiman also said that he had ordered his troops to raise alert and preparation levels in all army units until the end of the Israeli military drill.
Hezbollah's commander in south Lebanon, Nabil Kaouk, said that the guerilla group was closely monitoring Israeli activity along the border. He added that the civil defense drill is "not a testament of Israel's strength, but rather evidence of its frustration and despair," Israel Radio reported.
The Lebanese daily A-Safir quoted senior United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) officials as saying that Israel had asked the force to pass along reassuring messages to the Lebanese government to assuage any fears regarding an Israeli attack after the guerilla group Hezbollah and the Lebanese army began preparing for possible conflict.
The newspaper further reported that Israel made every effort to assure the Lebanese government that Israel has no intention of invading its territory as part of the drill.
