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Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/8076820.stm
Inside Hizbullah: No Separate Military and Political Wings
[BBC News] Natalia Antelava - Ahead of key elections in Lebanon, BBC News gained rare access to Mahmoud, a fighter of the powerful military wing of Hizbullah. Created in the 1980s with the financial backing of Iran and a goal of fighting Israel, today Hizbullah is probably the most powerful, best-funded militia in the Middle East. Recently, the UK decided to distinguish between the two faces of Hizbullah - by talking to its politicians while keeping the military wing on the terrorist list. But Mahmoud says the UK is fooling itself by making this distinction. "We have two arms, but we belong to one body. There is no such thing as the military wing or the political wing of Hizbullah - we are all part of one resistance," he said. "Hizbullah will become a purely political party only when Israel ceases to exist," he said.