Source: Al-Manar TV, 6-8-2008
If Hizbullah installs advanced anti-aircraft batteries in Lebanon, the "Israeli" Air Force will have to alter its overflights of Lebanon significantly, a senior IAF officer told "Israeli" daily Haaretz Tuesday.
However, he added that the IAF has successfully coped with similar threats elsewhere, and could do so in Lebanon as well.
Senior "Israeli" government and army officials have recently held feverish discussions on this scenario. Some of those involved have termed the installation of anti-aircraft batteries a "red line" to which "Israel" would have to respond with a "violent signal."
"ISRAEL" TO DISCUSS 'NEW REALITY' CREATED IN LEBANON
Meanwhile, the "Israeli" security cabinet is expected to discuss on Wednesday the ramifications of a Lebanese cabinet policy statement giving Hizbullah the right of "resistance" to "liberate Lebanese territories."
"This creates a new reality," one "Israeli" diplomatic official said of the statement, which was approved Monday. "With the smuggling of arms into Lebanon from Syria, Iran's involvement, and the fact that Hizbullah is now a part of the Lebanese government, there is a need to discuss the situation and formulate policy."
"Israeli" War Minister Ehud Barak has said in recent weeks that UN Security Resolution 1701 was a failure because according to him "it did not stop the arms transfers from Syria to Hizbullah".
Wednesday's meeting is a continuation of an "Israeli" security cabinet meeting held in early July, where the ministers were briefed by security and intelligence officials on the situation in Lebanon. The ministers were told at the time that there were some 2,500 non-uniformed Hizbullah men in southern Lebanon, and that the resistance organization had trebled its pre-war military arsenal and now had some 40,000 short and medium-range missiles inside Lebanon.
"Israel" views this matter as urgent, especially in light of the reports that Hizbullah is trying to smuggle in sophisticated anti-aircraft batteries. This will be the cabinet's second discussion on the matter in recent weeks.
However, Wednesday's security cabinet meeting is expected to discuss not only the arms, but also the changing situation vis-a-vis Lebanon as a result of the approval of the policy statement, which says it is "the right of Lebanon's people, the army and the resistance to liberate all its territories."
The approval of this statement came after Lebanese political factions reached a compromise on Friday by releasing a worded draft statement implying Hizbullah could keep its weapons.
Diplomatic officials in "Israel" said that these Lebanese government decisions would mean that the Lebanese government could be held accountable if Hizbullah carried out any operation against "Israel".