Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations

    BEIRUT, Sep. 5 (Xinhua) -- Hezbollah Chief Hasan Nasrallah declared in a televised speech Thursday that his Shiite group will keep its arms even if Shebaa farms were liberated, As-Safir daily reported Friday.

    "Shebaa farms are not the reason to keep our weapons; if the farms were liberated, the weapons will stay," Nasrallah said.

    Hezbollah leaders had repeatedly said in the past that the party's arms are aimed at liberating Lebanese occupied lands, mainly the remaining Shebaa farms in south Lebanon.

    Nasrallah, however, said Hezbollah will not give up its weapons "as long as Israeli threat persists," threatening that his group will destroy Israel if it launches an attack on Lebanon.

    "The five brigades (which Israel said it will use) will be destroyed," he added.

    He also acknowledged a member from his party was responsible for shooting down a Lebanese army Helicopter last week, during which the helicopter came under fire, killing an army officer and wounding seven crew members.

    "It was an accident that was understandable in the framework of high level of alert maintained by Hezbollah fighters in south Lebanon in facing Israeli repeated attacks over the years."

    He said that the member was "honorable" and acted "naturally and initiatively."

    Press reports said that the shooting was a mistake, and the shooter thought it was an Israeli helicopter.