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Dubai: As Lebanon on Thursday celebrated for a second day the return of its prisoners, Israelis buried their two dead soldiers amid a sense of defeat and sorrow.
"It took two years, but [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah kept his promise to free [Samir] Kantar," the Israeli daily Ha'aretz said in an editorial, reflecting what most Israeli media said over the past two days. Newspaper and analysts said Israel has handed Hezbollah another victory, the first one being during the 2006 war, launched by Israel to free the two soldiers, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, who were captured by Hezbollah on July 12, 2006.
Hezbollah returned the bodies of the two soldiers on Wednesday. In return, Israel freed five Lebanese prisoners including Kantar, who was in jail for nearly three decades. He was sentenced by an Israeli military court for five life terms for his role in a 1979 Palestinian attack.
Israel yesterday said Kantar should now fear for his own life, in what observers believe is a bid to boost the morale of Israeli public opinion. "Every terrorist who committed an act of terror against Israel, especially someone like Kantar, who killed a little child and two other people, is a target," a security official said. "If there is a chance for Israel to close the file on Kantar, Israel won't hesitate," he added. Another security official said Kantar "has become a target for killing".
Kantar has always denied the Israeli accusation and maintained that an Israeli fire killed the child. Yesterday, Kantar told AFP that he had no regrets over the daring raid he took part in 29 years ago. "I haven't for even one day regretted what I did," he said as he arrived at his family home in the Druze village of Aabey, southeast of Beirut, where he was given a hero's welcome. "On the contrary I remain committed to my political convictions."
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