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Barak to Graziano: Worried of Hizbullah Growing Threat

Barak to Graziano: Worried of Hizbullah Growing Threat
folder_openZionist Entity access_time15 years ago
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Source: Al-Manar TV, 27-10-2008

‘Israeli' War Minister Ehud Barak and ‘Israeli' occupation Army Chief of Staff Gaby Ashkenazi on Sunday met to discuss UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701 and the need to stop Hizbullah armament, according to Asharq al-Awsat Monday edition.

The meeting came a day after Barak met with UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) commander Claudio Graziano.

Sources in the ‘Israeli' defense ministry told the daily that ‘Israeli' army North Command Chief Gadi Eisenkot usually met with Graziano, his parallel.

The source said the ‘Israeli' army chief of staff met with Graziano after concerns over Hizbullah's arms, which it described as a threat to ‘Israel'.

Barak told Graziano the ‘Israeli' military is closely monitoring the Lebanon border, adding that Hezbollah has gained strength over the past two years with Syrian assistance. Citing ‘Israeli' sources, Asharq al-Awsat said Ashkenazi has informed Graziano that the Zionist entity can no longer tolerate a heavily armed Hizbullah, particularly after the resistance group doubled the number of its rockets, including long-range missiles.


The source said Graziano responded to Ashkenazi's concerns by saying ‘Israel' continued to enter Lebanese airspace, a direct violation of UNSCR 1701.

Earlier this month, the ‘Israeli' Haaretz website quoted diplomatic sources as saying Graziano had complained Barak refused "to meet with him to discuss the situation on the Lebanese border and implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701."

Haaretz said Graziano had reportedly told Dan Carmon, acting head of ‘Israel's' delegation to the UN, that Barak had been "putting [him] off" for at least six months.

The website also reported that Graziano had rejected ‘Israel's' accusation that the UNIFIL was "not providing the Security Council with accurate reports on Hizbullah's growing strength south of the Litani."

Graziano denied the accusations, and pointed out that ‘Israel' continued to fly over Lebanon and refused to disclose the location of unexploded cluster bombs. In addition, ‘Israel' has not pulled out of Ghajar, a village straddling the border between Lebanon and the Golan, as Resolution 1701 stipulates, while Hizbullah haven't violated the UN Resolution.

Monday's report by Asharq al-Awsat came a day after a senior ‘Israeli' military official accused Syria of arming Hizbullah. "Syria has become Hizbullah's arms warehouse," military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin told ministers during the ‘Israeli' cabinet's weekly meeting, according to another senior official.

'ISRAEL' ON HIGH ALERT ON BORDER

Moreover, ‘Israeli' troops went on high alert on the northern border with Lebanon over the weekend, stepping up their vigil along the border and dropping lightening bombs over apple orchards opposite the southern town of Odaysi.

Press reports on Monday said Spanish troops serving within UNIFIL deployed along the Fatmeh gate at the Lebanese border with ‘Israel' as Lebanese troops patrolled the border area following the ‘Israeli' alert.

BELGIUM SEEKS TO PULL FORCES OUT OF UNIFIL

Meanwhile, Belgian Defense Minister Pieter de Crem has presented a memo to the country's inner-cabinet calling for the withdrawal of Belgian troops serving with the UNIFIL. This process aims at bolstering Belgian military presence in Afghanistan, press reports said Monday.

They said the memo calls for sending a team of 70 trainers to Kabul early next year. The team will be moved to north Afghanistan three months later with the aim to fortify the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF).

De Crem's proposal would result in pulling all 355 members of the Belgian force from Lebanon, a matter that has caused much criticism in Belgium.


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