Loyalty to the Resistance Parliamentary bloc minister said on Friday that whether or not they have acquired scud missiles is none of Israel’s business.
 
Minister Hussein Haj Hassan says the group was always arming and preparing itself but he refused to confirm or deny Israeli allegations that the Lebanese resistance group has acquired Scud missiles.
 
Israeli president Shimon Peres earlier this week directly accused Damascus of providing the scud missiles, a charge Syria denied.
 
The U.S. State Department responded to the allegations on Wednesday by saying that if they were true, “it would put Lebanon at a significant risk.”
 
Haj Hassan, meanwhile, told Al-Manar TV that since Israel possessed all kinds of weapons, it’s only natural for Lebanon to have the means to defend itself against an Israeli attack.
 
On Tuesday, the Kuwaiti daily Al-Rai Al-Aam reported that Syria had shipped ballistic Scud missiles to Hezbollah in Lebanon. The White House said it has raised concerns with Syria about the report.
 
Israeli officials say the introduction of Scuds could alter the strategic balance with Hezbollah. Scud missiles have several times the range and explosive firepower of Katyusha rockets and would pose a much more serious threat.
 
In Washington, the Syrian Embassy dismissed the allegations of shipping scud missiles and accused Israel of trying to divert attention from questions about Israel’s nuclear program. Israel is widely believed to possess nuclear arms, though it does not confirm nor deny this.