Hizbullah leader Shiekh Hassan Nasrallah has made a clear threat that the organization would try to kidnap more Israelis in order to increase its bargaining power in negotiations over a prisoners exchange deal.

The head of the extremist Iranian-backed Lebanese Shi´ite organization issued the warning during a speech at a rally in Jibsheet village in south Lebanon to mark the 14th anniversary of the abduction by Israel of the organization´s then leader in the south Sheikh Abdul Karim Obeid.

Nasrallah, who looked harassed in pictures of the rally screened on Israel television and at times raised his voice to screaming pitch, also said the organization would no longer give any details about the fate of Elhanan Tannenbaum.

Tannenbaum, a businessman and retired IDF colonel, was kidnapped by Hizbullah while on a trip abroad in October 2000, shortly after the organization snatched three IDF soldiers in an ambush on the Israeli side of the UN-delineated withdrawal line in the Mount Dov region.

The soldiers, St.-Sgts. Benyamin Avraham, Omar Suwayeed and Adi Avitan have since been declared dead by the IDF and their place of burial unknown. Several months ago. however, Nasrallah himself announced that at least one of the hostages - Tannenbaum - was still alive.

On Sunday he adopted a different tone and tune, making threats and and issuing warnings, apparently because of pressure from Lebanese anxious to ensure the release and return of their loved ones.

"We will give the negotiations on the issue of the prisoners and the detainees one last chance. . . After that we will consider the negotiations to have reached a dead end and that the number (of Israelis in captivity) is insufficient for a prisoners´ exchange," said Nasrallah.

"Then we will work day and night to have in (our) possession new Israeli captives," the Hizbullah leader was quoted as saying by news agencies.

Referring to the hostages held by the organization, he said: "In the past, we used to say that we have three (Israelis) whose fate is unknown. Today I say to the Israelis that Tannenbaum´s fate is also unknown. Who knows if he is still alive?" said Nasrallah.

His comments brought a response from the family of Elhanan Tannenbaum. "I am now more worried than ever before about the safety and welfare of our father," his son Ori Tannenbaum told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday night.

"According to information in our possession, our father is alive and the leader of Hizbullah is primarily responsible for ensuring he remains alive and that he is receiving the medical treatment he requires.

"The Hizbullah leader apparently now understands that a process is under way in the region that will lead to the release of Palestinian prisoners, as he has been demanding, but he and Hizbullah are not part of this process.

"He has therefore degenerated into using the most cruel and inhumane means to try and attain his political aims.

"He has been solely responsible for refusing to resume negotiations over an exchange deal for several months and has been trying to cover up this fact," said Ori Tannenbaum.

Chief of General Staff Moshe Ya´alon, in an interview with Channel One, accused Nasrallah of turning a humanitarian issue into blackmail. "This shows the pressure he is under because of criticism against him about the Lebanese held by Israel for the last 14 years that he has failed (to attain their release and) to return to Lebanon," said Ya´alon. (© 1995-2003, The Jerusalem Post 07/27/03)