Ashkenazi: Hizbullah has more rockets than before Lebanon war
Source: Haaretz, 27-5-2009
By Yuval Azoulay
"Israeli" Army Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi told a Knesset committee meeting Tuesday that Hizbullah has more rockets than before the Second Lebanon War and is boosting it's power in South Lebanon ahead of the country's upcoming elections.
"Hizbullah is secretly bolstering its power south of the Litani River, but UNIFIL's presence is making that task more difficult. Today it has more rockets and long-range ammunition than it did before the Second Lebanon War."
Ashkenazi warned Hizbullah is still looking to avenge the killing of one of its senior militants Imad Moghnieh, saying "Hizbullah has been intimidated and restrained, but it is still planning a response to the death of Imad Moghnieh." Hizbullah blames "Israel" for the assassination, carried out in Damascus last year.
The army chief called the upcoming elections in Lebanon "a fascinating electoral campaign between a radical axis and moderates. This confrontation will determine which direction Lebanon will face, and it is possible it will fall to the radicals.
On the Iranian nuclear threat, Ashkenazi said, "there is currently a dialogue between the United States and Iran, but we don't know at this point if it will bear fruit. The option of dialogue, alongside imposing sanctions, is preferable in our view, but as chief of staff, my obligation is to prepare for every alternative for dealing with this matter, and that is what I'm doing."
Ashkenazi added that "Israel" and moderate Arab states in the region have a common interest in stopping Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
