File this one under "Oops" A senior Hezbollah official said Tuesday the guerrillas did not expect Israel to react with an all-out offensive after the capture of two soldiers, the first acknowledgment by the group that it had miscalculated the consequences of the raid two weeks ago. Mahmoud Komati, deputy chief of the Hezbollah's political arm, also told The Associated Press in an interview that the Shiite militant group will not lay down arms. "The truth is — let me say this clearly — we didn't even expect (this) response ... that (Israel) would exploit this operation for this big war against us," said Komati. He said Hezbollah had expected "the usual, limited response" from Israel after the two soldiers were seized by guerrillas on Israel's side of the border on July 12. In the past, he said, Israeli responses to Hezbollah actions included sending commandos into Lebanon, seizing Hezbollah officials and briefly targeting specific strongholds in southern Lebanon. Komati said his group had anticipated negotiations to swap the Israeli soldiers for three Lebanese held in Israeli jails, with Germany acting as a mediator as it has in past prisoner exchanges. More Translation: Dude, we didn't think they'd go all jihad on us and start kicking our ass. Note to Hezbollah: Perhaps Israel realized that the way things had been done in the past didn't really work out to their advantage. Or maybe they're just really really tired of your crap and decided to teach you a lesson a you'd not soon forget. Note to self: Leaders of Hezbollah aren't as smart as they think they are.
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Hezbollah: Israeli onslaught a surprise
4 hours ago
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