美国国家公共电台 NPR--As tensions mount with Israel, Hezbollah stages a massive show of force in Lebanon

As tensions mount with Israel, Hezbollah stages a massive show of force in Lebanon

Transcript¹

NEAR AARAMTA, SOUTHERN LEBANON — Muscle-bound Hezbollah fighters karate² chopped terracotta tiles to smithereens with their bare hands, as others leapt onto fast moving dirt-bikes while wielding³ rifles. Rockets smashed into a hillside the Lebanese militia⁴ had dotted with "enemy" Israeli flags. Snipers hit metal cut-outs of Israeli soldiers from hundreds of meters away.

"Oh Zionists, we are coming for you, from places you know and places you don't," a Hezbollah member shouted into a microphone, as fighters sprayed their targets with live ammunition⁵ in the simulated attack. "We will come at you from the sea, from the air and from the land."

The military exercise on Sunday at a Hezbollah base in southern Lebanon, close to the border with Israel, was the biggest public show of force by the militia in at least a decade. The group invited local and foreign journalists to attend, giving them rare access to a sensitive military position to report on the event.

The display was ostensibly to mark the upcoming anniversary of the withdrawal⁶ of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon on May 25, 2000. But it also comes at a time of heightened tension between Israel, Hezbollah and allied⁷ groups.

Last month saw the biggest escalation⁸ of violence on the Lebanese-Israeli border since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. Following Israeli raids on worshipers in the Al Aqsa mosque⁹, dozens of rockets were fired into Israel from southern Lebanon. Israel responded with limited airstrikes in the south of the country. Although Hezbollah did not claim responsibility for the attack — and Palestinian militias¹⁰ operate in this part of Lebanon — experts believe an attack on this scale would not have happened without the group's consent.

The military exercise also follows a closing of ranks between Hezbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian organizations. Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas' political bureau, was in Beirut during the rocket attacks on April 6. He met Hezbollah's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, to discuss "the readiness of the Axis¹¹ of Resistance" against Israel, according to a statement by the Lebanese militia.

While Hezbollah periodically fired rockets into the Golan Heights from neighboring Syria, during the war there, it has become cautious about launching attacks from Lebanon. As well as being an armed militia group sponsored by Iran, Hezbollah is now also a major force in Lebanese politics, and has in recent years avoided inviting¹² Israeli attacks on the country.

"Hezbollah try to needle the Israelis from time to time, but they're very risk averse," said Nicholas Blanford, a Lebanon-based expert on the group affiliated¹³ with the Atlantic Council. The simulated exercises are a lower risk way for Hezbollah to remind Lebanese of its military prowess. "It's also a means of rallying the support base, specifically the Shia community," said Blanford. "It may also be sending subtle messages to Hezbollah's opponents in Lebanon that we are here, we're still a powerful force."

At its military base in the south of the country on Sunday, the militia welcomed guests with a brass¹⁴ band. Drones held the Lebanese flag and Hezbollah's distinctive¹⁵ yellow banner suspended overhead. Invitees walked past masked men in military uniforms standing¹⁶ on trucks equipped with rocket launchers, before being seated beside the parade ground. For more than an hour and a half, members of the group showed off their skills — one point they jumping through flaming metal hoops¹⁷, and engaging in hand-to-hand combat.

They detonated explosions on a nearby hill during a simulated attack on an Israeli settlement. Rockets fired from drones blew up Israeli flags, as, amid the live gunfire and plumes¹⁸ of smoke, a group of fighters drove to the hilltop and victoriously¹⁹ planted the Hezbollah flag.

In a speech after the exercise, Hashem Safieddine, the head of the group's executive council, said the show was intended to "solidify²⁰ the balance of deterrence²¹" with Israel. Speaking directly to Israeli leaders, he said that faced with any escalation, Hezbollah was ready to respond. "We will cause a very black day of the kind you never imagined."

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 karate   

n.空手道(日本的一种徒手武术)

参考例句：

• Alice's boyfriend knew a little karate.艾丽斯的男朋友懂一点儿空手道。
• The black belt is the highest level in karate.黑腰带级是空手道的最高级别。

3 wielding   

手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的现在分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响）

参考例句：

• The rebels were wielding sticks of dynamite. 叛乱分子舞动着棒状炸药。
• He is wielding a knife. 他在挥舞着一把刀。

4 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

5 ammunition   

n.军火，弹药

参考例句：

• A few of the jeeps had run out of ammunition.几辆吉普车上的弹药已经用光了。
• They have expended all their ammunition.他们把弹药用光。

6 withdrawal   

n.取回，提款；撤退，撤军；收回，撤销

参考例句：

• The police were forced to make a tactical withdrawal.警方被迫进行战术撤退。
• They insisted upon a withdrawal of the statement and a public apology.他们坚持要收回那些话并公开道歉。

7 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

8 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

9 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。

10 militias   

n.民兵组织，民兵( militia的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The troops will not attempt to disarm the warring militias. 部队并不打算解除战斗中的民兵武装。 来自辞典例句
• The neighborhood was a battleground for Shiite and Sunni militias. 那里曾是什叶派和逊尼派武装分子的战场。 来自互联网

11 axis   

n.轴，轴线，中心线；坐标轴，基准线

参考例句：

• The earth's axis is the line between the North and South Poles.地轴是南北极之间的线。
• The axis of a circle is its diameter.圆的轴线是其直径。

12 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

13 affiliated   

adj. 附属的, 有关连的

参考例句：

• The hospital is affiliated with the local university. 这家医院附属于当地大学。
• All affiliated members can vote. 所有隶属成员都有投票权。

14 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

15 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

16 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

17 hoops   

n.箍( hoop的名词复数 )；（篮球）篮圈；（旧时儿童玩的）大环子；（两端埋在地里的）小铁弓

参考例句：

• a barrel bound with iron hoops 用铁箍箍紧的桶
• Hoops in Paris were wider this season and skirts were shorter. 在巴黎，这个季节的裙圈比较宽大，裙裾却短一些。 来自飘（部分）

18 plumes   

羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物

参考例句：

• The dancer wore a headdress of pink ostrich plumes. 那位舞蹈演员戴着粉色鸵鸟毛制作的头饰。
• The plumes on her bonnet barely moved as she nodded. 她点点头，那帽子的羽毛在一个劲儿颤动。

19 victoriously   

adv.获胜地，胜利地

参考例句：

• Our technical revolution is blazing its way forward through all the difficulties and advancing victoriously. 我们的技术革命正在披荆斩棘，胜利前进。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Ignace victoriously ascended the stairs and knocked on Kessler's door. 伊格内斯踌躇满志地登上楼梯，敲响了凯斯勒的房门。 来自辞典例句

20 solidify   

v.(使)凝固，(使)固化，(使)团结

参考例句：

• Opinion on this question began to solidify.对这个问题的意见开始具体化了。
• Water will solidify into ice if you freeze it.水冷冻会结冰。

21 deterrence   

威慑，制止； 制止物，制止因素； 挽留的事物； 核威慑

参考例句：

• An extreme school of "disarmers" pronounced stable deterrence was a dangerous deception. “裁军论者”中的极端派声称，稳定的威摄是一种危险的骗局。
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。