Israeli sources reported on Sunday that Israel is preparing for a “net round of war” against the Lebanon based Hezbollah party and vowed to prevent the Lebanese army deployment until the arrival of International force, the Lebanese Naharnet online daily reported.
Israeli officials claimed that Israel aims to prevent Hezbollah from getting weapons from abroad.
The Israeli Trade and Industry Minister, Eli Yishai, said that Israel wants to foil any attempt to smuggle weapons from Syria to Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon. The statements of Yishai came during Sunday’s weekly cabinet session in Jerusalem.
Also, the Israeli Defense Minister, Amir Peretz, said that Israel wants to examine the mistakes it made during the war in order to “prepare for the next round”.
Peretz added that the Lebanese are to be blamed for allowing the transfer of weapons and said that Israel is giving the Lebanese president, Emile Lahhoud and his Prime Minister, Fuad Siniora, an ultimatum which is either to to stop the weapons transfer or face Israeli shelling to Lebanese infrastructure.
Lebanese Defense Minister, Elias Murr, said on Sunday that anyone who fired rockets into Israel will be charged with treason since this is a violation of the fragile ceasefire that ended a month of war.
Murr added that Hezbollah is committed to the truce deal.
Meanwhile, Israel said it will prevent the deployment of Lebanese troops along the border areas that are currently occupied by Israel until the arrival of international forces.
“We will continue to prevent the Lebanese army from deploying within two kilometers of the border, before the deployment of the multinational force”, Israel’s Defense Minister Amir Peretz said during the weekly cabinet session on Sunday.
Lebanese troops took up several positions along the border on Saturday, including at the Fatima Gate border point in the village of Kfar Kila, the Naharnet added.
During the cabinet session, Peretz the 15000-strong international force which will be deployed at the borders will be the “utmost test” for the United Nations resolution number 1701. The resolution led to the implementation of ceasefire.
Despite the latest diplomatic efforts to end the war, the Israeli air force flew over Al Biqa’ valley on Sunday. The incident comes one day after the Israeli air force shelled an area deep inside Lebanese territory.
The shelling also targeted a Syrian-Lebanese border area, Lebanese police source reported.
Moreover, the United Nations accused Israel of violating the accord with a commando raid on eastern Lebanon carried on Saturday, and warned that this attack could further rattle the deployment of international forces that are being called upon to sign up to a beefed-up UN force on the Israeli-Lebanese border.
Saturday, Israel shelled a Hezbollah stronghold in Lebanon which made the Lebanese government threaten to halt any further deployment of its forces.
UN officials described the Israeli attack as a violation to the six-day-old cease-fire deal.
Israel claimed that the shelling intended to stop weapons smuggling from Syria to Hezbollah. One Israeli officer was killed in the attack, two were injured.
