In an extensive interview with the Italian daily newspaper Corriere della Sera, Defense Minister Ehud Barak admitted that Israel paid the price for its inexperience during the Second Lebanon War, but declared that conclusions have been drawn and hoped that Israel would not make the same mistakes in the future.
The UNIFIL troops deployed in Lebanon said Barak have had a stabilizing influence but the UN Security Council Resolution 1701 is not being upheld, and is being regularly violated by Hizbullah, Syria and Iran the defense minister said. "Ever since the war ended the Shiite (Hizbullah) movement has tripled its number of rockets," Barak said. Dressed in civilian clothing to evade detection, Hizbullah operatives have dug bunkers between houses and renewed infrastructure that was destroyed in the war he said.
Barak called on the international community to intensify its pressure on Iran. "Teheran's message proves that the regime is determined to come up against the entire world, deceiving and stalling. Their goal is to obtain a nuclear weapon, believing otherwise is an illusion. An atomic Iran will threaten global peace and the world order," the defense minister said. Responding to remarks made by Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini who said an Israeli strike on Iran would be a disaster, Barak declared that while he backed strengthening sanctions on the Islamic Republic, if they fail, all options should remain on the table. "Either way, we need to keep every option open. If they provoke us, or they attack us, our army is prepared to attack and to succeed uncompromisingly," he asserted, adding that "it's up to us to find the best way to get the best result with minimum damage."
Refraining from commenting on the internal political situation that led to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's pending resignation, Barak said that he intends to be a partner in a new government after the Kadima primary elections. "The country needs unity, the challenges are huge, both on the security and diplomatic levels. We are facing more opportunities and threats," he said, adding that "in case comes up against us, we are readying the army to fight until we reach a clear victory."
Regarding the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas, Barak declared that it was Hamas who asked for a ceasefire under the pressure of the boycott and the operations against the Kassam launchers. "We are not negotiating with Hamas, except for talks on the release of soldier Gilad Schalit," he said. 08/07/08
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