The Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee was informed on Tuesday by Israeli intelligence officers that Hizbullah possibly could attack northern Israel by using a third-party paramilitary group. "We clearly identify a great deal of activity among Hizbullah… It is growing stronger on all levels, improving its systems, its units and is receiving a great deal of weapons and missiles for medium and long distances. Hizbullah is readying itself for an escalation that may break out in the North as a result of an operation against Israel. We are not discounting any possibility - there are assessments that they may carry out an operation in the North through another organization," the officers told the committee. Hizbullah also “is operating in southern Lebanon, mostly in villages, in secret and in civilian garb,” said the officers. On a tour of the northern border on Tuesday, Defense Minister Ehud Barak warned, "I would not recommend that any one from the other side of the border test us."

BACK