The head of Hizbullah’s Executive Council Sayyed Hashem Safieddine on Sunday warned Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak that in case he decides to commit any folly in Lebanon, he would soon discover that the July 2006 war was but a joke.

“If (Israeli Defence Minister Ehud) Barak’s threats are serious — and I don’t think they are — he should be aware that if he commits an error or stupid act against Lebanon… he will discover that the months of July and August 2006 were just a bit of fun,” said Hizbullah executive council chairman Hashem Safieddine.

Barak said on Thursday that the Jewish state would use “all necessary force” if there was a fresh conflict on its northern border with Lebanon.

He charged that Hizbullah has stockpiled 40,000 rockets.

“We have never, and we will never seek war. However, the rule [we adopted] in keeping war away from our country is that we have to be strong. Based on this fact we are strong today as we continue to live on the victory of the July 2006 war,” Safieddine said.

He went on to add saying: “We believe that all of the Israeli threats are empty and meaningless.”

Safieddine said that all Israeli schemes against the resistance have failed, adding that that there is no need to be worried.

“The Lebanese must differentiate between who is their friend and who is their enemy and know how to set their political priorities,” he said.

Israel fought a 34-day war with the Shiite militia in July-August 2006, in which more than 1,200 people, most of them civilians, were killed in Lebanon and 160 in Israel, most of them soldiers.

Lieutenant General Gaby Ashkenazi, head of Israel’s armed forces, warned last month against a military conflict with Lebanon, saying Hizbullah’s weapons stockpile poses a “serious” threat to Israel.

On Thursday, British Foreign Office Minister Ivan Lewis said in Beirut that his country is “very, very concerned” that Hizbullah was stockpiling arms in violation of the U.N. Security Council resolution that ended the war.(AFP and Naharnet)