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| By: israelinsider staff and partners |
| Published: February 19, 2007 |
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The Shiite group Hizbullah has succeeded in rehabilitating its forces, a senior army official said Monday.
Hizbullah is now almost at the same strength as it was before last summer's war, he said.
Speaking to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Brigadier General Yossi Baidatz, the head of the Military Intelligence's Research Division, softened his assessment when contradicted by Defense Minister Amir Peretz who charged that Hizbullah's strength cannot be measured and that Baidatz was referring to the group's potential.
Committee members slammed Baidatz's inconsistent testimony and referred the issue to a subcommittee.
Likud MK Silvan Shalom looked negatively on the situation in southern Lebanon..
"In any case, there is no doubt that (UN) Resolution 1701 is terrible and failed completely. Hizbullah continues to arm, the kidnapped soldiers have not returned," said Shalom, referring to the UN Resolution that ended 34 days of fighting between Hizbullah and Israel.
Turning his attention to Syria, Baidatz said Damascus is upgrading its military arsenal for fear of confrontation with Israel. "Syria is undergoing a process of military strengthening. The Syrians are worried about a military confrontation with Israel and they do not want to initiate that," he said.
The relationship between Prime Minister Olmert and Defense Minister Peretz were also a topic of discussion.
Amid reports that the relations had deteriorated, Peretz reassured the committee of the contrary.
Last week Olmert confirmed that his relations with Peretz were "sound."
There have been reports in the Israeli media that Olmert was on the verge of firing Peretz.
Ynet contributed to this report. |
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