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October 22, 2006

Lebanonwire

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Israel to continue Lebanon overflights: defense minister

JERUSALEM - Defense Minister Amir Peretz said Sunday that Israel would continue its controversial flights over Lebanon, saying they were needed to stem alleged arms smuggling to Hezbollah.

"The Lebanese government is falling short of carrying out its commitment under UN Security Council Resolution 1701," that ended the 34-day war between the Jewish state and Hezbollah, the defense ministry quoted Peretz as telling the weekly cabinet meeting.

"Increasing intelligence indicates a growing effort to pass weapons into Lebanon," he said.

"As long as these attempts continue, the legitimacy of our flights over Lebanon increases," Peretz said. "As long as (UN) Reoslution 1701 is not carried out, we have no intention of stopping the flights over Lebanon."

Israel has continued to carry out flights over Lebanese territory despite a UN-brokered ceasefire on August 14.

The flights have been increasingly criticized by the international community, with France -- which currently heads the UN peacekeepers in Lebanon -- warning last Friday against the violations.

"These violations are extremely dangerous because they may be felt as hostile by forces of the coalition that could be brought to retaliate in case of self-defense and it would be a very serious incident," French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie told reporters at United Nations headquarters.

UN Resolution 1701 called for the disarming of all militias in Lebanon, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the south of the country, and the deployment of a beefed-up UN peacekeeping force.

Peretz said Sunday that the purpose of UN troops, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), was to act against Hezbollah and not the Jewish state.

"UNIFIL is meant to act against Hezbollah and not against Israel," he said. "Israel's security is the most important objective." Israel launched its war on Hezbollah on July 12, after the Shiite militants seized two soldiers and killed eight others in cross-border raids.

The war killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.

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