Guerrilla chief turns over new leaf

Plant trees, protect forests, preserve Lebanon's beauty.

A message from the environment minister? Greenpeace campaigner? Eco-tourism entrepreneur?

No, it was Hezbollah guerrilla chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, taking time out from diatribes against Israel and the US ally to deliver a distinctly green-tinged appeal.

Afforestation is "part of Lebanese national security", the Shiite leader intoned, a day after he emerged from hiding to dig in what he said was the millionth sapling planted by Hezbollah's reconstruction arm, Jihad al-Bina.

His excursion was a rare step into the sunshine for a man who haslived under cover to avoid Israeli assassination since a 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.

He said: "The climate threat is among the biggest threats faced by mankind in (terms of] its peace, security, stability and existence."

Civic sense is not a strong point in Lebanon and it is not clear whether even Nasrallah can induce greener behaviour on his compatriots, many of whom blithely toss litter from their cars.