Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah hailed as a "badge of honour" an Egyptian court's conviction of 26 men for plotting attacks in the Suez Canal and Sinai resorts on behalf of his Lebanese movement. "The verdicts are a badge of honour for these noble brothers of the resistance," Nasrallah said in an interview to be broadcast on Thursday by Kuwaiti television channel Al-Rai.
"It is a source of pride to us for all Arab and Islamic peoples to know that we are detained and jailed for... standing by our brothers in Palestine and Gaza," Nasrallah said. The defendants said they had tried to help Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip.
"From day one, we have said -- and I personally have said -- that these men are honourable brothers, fighters of the resistance, and not outlaws, terrorists and criminals, as the court verdict says," Nasrallah said. "We will continue to use all political and diplomatic means to deal with this issue, give our brothers what is fair and ensure they do not remain in prison," he added.
© 2010 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
