Hizbullah has concealed much of its arsenal in southern Lebanon.

Hizbullah commander Nabil Qawk said the Iranian-sponsored militia has maintained an arsenal near the Israeli border in wake of the 34-day war with Israel, which ended on August 14. But Qawk said the weapons remain hidden from Israel and the United Nations peace-keeping force.

“They are still present in the south and along the border, but are simply out of sight,” Qawk said on October 2. “Nothing changed after July 12. Hizbullah still has weapons in the southern villages and along the border, but they are hidden.”

On Wednesday, the Lebanese Army prevented Hizbullah from organizing a violent protest along the Israeli border. Lebanese troops stopped busloads of Hizbullah youngsters to stage a rock-throwing demonstration along the Israeli border fence.

The Hizbullah regional commander, addressing a memorial ceremony in Aita Roun, echoed a claim by the group’s secretary-general, Hassan Nasrallah. Nasrallah said Hizbullah has an arsenal of more than 20,000 rockets and missiles.

For his part, Qawk dismissed the prospect that the 5,000-member UN force would act against Hizbullah. He said the UN was not “entitled to disarm Hizbullah or to spy on the party.”

“Hizbullah clings to all the elements of power necessary to defy the Israeli enemy,” Qawk said. “The resistance’s arms are on top of those elements.”

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