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Israeli minister warns of new war with Hezbollah

Israel Materials 23 January 2010 21:12 (UTC +04:00)
Israel is heading toward a new war with Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah, a cabinet minister warned Saturday.
Israeli minister warns of new war with Hezbollah

Israel is heading toward a new war with Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah, a cabinet minister warned Saturday in remarks carried by military radio and the popular Ynet news website.

"We are heading toward a new confrontation in the north but I don't know when it will happen, just as we did not know when the second Lebanon war would erupt," said Yossi Peled, a minister without portfolio and a reserve army general, AFP reported.

He was referring to the devastating war Israel fought with Hezbollah in 2006, which killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, most of them civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.

Hezbollah is part of a new coalition government formed in November by US- and Saudi-backed Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri. The group is also the only faction still armed after Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war.

"Although Hezbollah is part of the Lebanese government, the latter has no influence on it," Peled said, adding the Jewish state will hold Hezbollah and its ally Syria responsible for any attack on Israel.

Israeli officials have repeatedly warned in recent weeks that any attack by Hezbollah would be met with a strong response.

Last week Defence Minister Ehud Barak warned Lebanon and Hezbollah against any attempt to undermine the "calm" prevailing at the border between the two countries.

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