Special report: Israel-Lebanon Conflicts   [ Video ][Gallery]

Special report: Israel, Lebanon agree on ceasefire

Hezbollah's leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Friday that his group still possesses more than 20,000 rockets and no army in the world could disarm it. (File Photo) Photo Gallery >>>

    BEIRUT, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- Hezbollah's leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said Friday that his group still possesses more than 20,000 rockets and no army in the world could disarm it.

    "The resistance today...has more than 20,000 rockets," Nasrallah told hundreds of thousands of supporters in his first postwar appearance at a massive rally held in the southern suburb of Beirut.

    Speaking at the "divine victory" rally, Nasrallah said the Shiite Muslim group became stronger than it was before the conflict, adding that no army in the world could disarm it.

    "The group has recovered all its organizational and military capabilities," said Nasrallah, "it is stronger than it was before July 12."

    "There is no army in the world can force us to drop our weapons from our hands," he added.

    Nasrallah condemned the United States for supporting Israel in the war, adding it stopped the 34-day conflict for Israel's sake.

    "The United States made the decision of the (Israeli) war on Lebanon, provided the weapons...The Americans stopped the war only for Israeli's sake," Nasrallah said.

    He also lashed the current Lebanese government in the rally and called for a new "national unity government".

    "The current government is not capable of protecting, uniting and reconstructing Lebanon," said Nasrallah, declaring that "our project for the next phase is working for the formation of a national unity government."

    Nasrallah has not appeared in public since a July 12 news conference to announce the capture of the two Israeli soldiers, which triggered a 34-day war between Israel and the guerrilla group. The conflict killed nearly 1,200 people in Lebanon, mainly civilians, and 157 Israelis, mostly soldiers.

    Since the war, Israeli officials have said they would continue to target Hezbollah's leadership but Prime Minister Ehud Olmert refused to comment on Thursday on whether Israel would try to kill Nasrallah if he appeared at the rally.

    The Friday evening rally had been expected to coincide with the

    final withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from southern Lebanon, but Israel's army chief said on Wednesday there were "a few issues to be wrapped up" before the pullout could be complete. Enditem