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| By: Associated Press |
| Published: November 2, 2006 |
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An internal Israeli military document says the air force's controversial flights over Lebanon are intended in part to pressure the international community to take action to stop arms smuggling to Hezbollah guerrillas and release two abducted Israeli soldiers, a senior Defense Ministry official said Thursday.
The document contradicts official Israeli assertions that the overflights are routine reconnaissance operations designed to gather intelligence about Hezbollah, which clashed with Israel over the summer in a month-long war.
The document, titled "Strategic diplomatic messages: the army must continue overflights to secure international pressure," was approved by chief of staff Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, a former air force commander, the official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he isn't authorized to discuss policy with the press.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Aviv Shir-On said it wasn't the job of the Israel Defense Forces to set political objectives.
"I'm not familiar with this document. But if political goals are indeed defined in an IDF document, this matter must be looked into because ... the IDF is in charge of Israel's security and others are in charge of political goals," Shir-On told Israel Army Radio.
The army said it doesn't comment on internal documents.
Lebanon and the United Nations have called on Israel to halt military flights over Lebanese territory, calling them a violation of the U.N.-brokered resolution that ended the war on Aug. 14.
Israel insists the flights must continue because arms are still smuggled to Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran, and the soldiers have not been freed, in violation of the cease-fire. Hezbollah's kidnapping of the soldiers sparked the summer war.
U.N. envoy Terje Roed-Larsen confirmed Israel's assertions on Tuesday when he said the Lebanese government has reported arms smuggling into Lebanon from Syria since the truce. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah also said the guerrilla group had reinforced its arsenal.
Hours after Roed-Larsen spoke, Israeli fighter jets roared over Hezbollah strongholds in the strongest show of force since the war ended, diving low over Hezbollah strongholds in south Beirut and over two other Lebanese towns.
The flyovers heightened tensions between Israel and its northern neighbor, whose political situation has grown increasingly volatile.
American and European officials have stepped up their demands for Hezbollah to disarm in accordance with the U.N.-brokered cease-fire, but the militant group has repeatedly refused to lay down its arms.
The refusal has caused internal struggles as the Lebanese army -- working alongside an expanded U.N. force -- tries to take control of the south, which has been under Hezbollah's control for decades. |
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