Israeli military: Second round of fighting with Hizbullah soon

The IOF top brass are keen on reiterating that the second round of confrontation with the Lebanese Hizbullah will resume within months if not weeks, alleging that munitions smuggling to Hizbullah are still active, the Hebrew daily Ha’aretz newspaper reported on Monday.

The paper quoted a high-ranking IOF officer as saying that both Syria and Iran were smuggling arms to the Lebanese resistance, and that such smuggling increased in the first week after the cessation of hostilities.

“There is indeed no mechanism set so far to practically halt all forms of weapons smuggling operations from Iran to Hizbullah via Syria, and therefore, Israel will not hesitate to strike any truck carrying weapons to the Lebanese party without seeking permission for that strike”, the officer added according to the paper.

IOF sources noted that thousands of IOF servicemen were still stationed inside Lebanon in preparation for any possible Hizbullah assault and to resume the war anew.

Local observers and military analysts shrugged off Israel’s bragging about its power, affirming that it is no longer capable of launching a new aggression in the wake of its disgraceful defeat in Lebanon, in addition to the fact that any future Israeli aggression on Lebanon will be dealt with on the part of the Arab countries in a more stiffer way.

According to those think-tank figures, any future military adventure by Israel will have a more probability of losing than wining.

More than 170 Israeli soldiers were killed (some independent reports estimated the figure at 400) and more than 5,000 others, including settlers, were wounded during the 33-day war on Lebanon.

More Israeli violations of the truce were recorded in the south, including frequent sorties over Lebanon, and bulldozing of roads in the Lebanese village of Marwaheen in a bid to deny Lebanese refugees access to their abandoned homes.

Russian newspapers opined that Israel will not be able to achieve any military victory in the region any more, adding the qualifications of the Lebanese resistance weren’t limited to the quality of weapons it possesses, but rather with the popular support it enjoys amidst the Lebanese populace.

Diskin warns of growing Qassam force in Gaza:
For his part, head of Israeli domestic intelligence apparatus (Shabak) Yuval Diskin warned that Israel will face a strategic problem in the coming 3-5 years that is the growing force of the Palestinian resistance factions, especially the Qassam Brigades, armed wing of Hamas in Gaza Strip.

He urged his government not to heed Palestinians’ calls for calm, alleging that tons of explosive materials and thousands of weapons were smuggled through Rafah terminal since Israel pulled out of the Strip a year ago.

Meanwhile, Chief Officer of Paratroops, Brigadier General Yossi Hayman surprised a ceremony of shifting ranks held by the Israeli military institution when he admitted full responsibly for the defeat in Lebanon, acknowledging that his troops weren’t prepared well for the war.