RAMALLAH: Israel is attempting to block a $400 million arms deal between the US and Lebanon that would reportedly include hundreds of anti-tank missiles, a report said yesterday.
The daily Haaretz said that Israeli authorities have stated that recent events in Lebanon, including Hezbollah’s resurgence in the south, have led them to believe that the arms transfer could pose a security threat, namely if future clashes cause government forces to splinter, possibly causing the arms to fall into the hands of Hezbollah.
The report came after Israel expressed Wednesday its interest in opening peace talks with Lebanon. An Israeli official quoted Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as telling his security Cabinet: “Just as we started talks with Syria, I would hope it would be possible to start talks with Lebanon.”
According to the Haaretz report, the head of the Israeli Defense Ministry’s Diplomatic-Security Bureau Amos Gilad has reportedly held talks recently with US officials from the Pentagon in order to convey Israeli reservations about the deal. The report added that the US is interested in the deal out of the belief that it will help the Lebanese Army better deal with the range of factions in the country, especially Hezbollah. As a precursor to the weapons deal, the US has agreed to help train units of the Lebanese Army and has sent military advisors to the country on the eve of a potential prisoner exchange between Israel and Hezbollah.