Israel launched large-scale military exercises on Tuesday in the occupied Golan Heights along the Syrian border in the presence of senior political and military officials.
"There is a reinforcement on the other side, and it”s not by chance that we are training intensively on the Golan Heights and on a major scale," Defense Minister Ehud Barak, who observed the drills, told army radio.
He was referring to Hizbullah, which Israel says has been rearming with help from Syria and Iran since the 2006 Lebanon war.
Barak said the U.N. resolution which ended the 34-day war "failed to fulfill its goals."
"There has been a very significant reinforcement of Hizbullah in recent years, and we are examining the possibility that the balance of power has shifted with the introduction of sophisticated weapons from Syria," Barak said.
On Monday, Barak said the 2006 summer war backfired on Israel because it resulted in strengthening Hizbullah.
He said the Jewish state was not prepared for the war, which turned out into a major launching pad to upgrade Hizbullah”s power.
He criticized the Israeli government”s performance during the six years that preceded outbreak of the war.
Barak also warned Tuesday the government against slashing defense spending in a proposed budget aimed at reducing overall expenditure by some 2.6 billion dollars, saying "Israel cannot afford the luxury of undermining its security."
The exercises on the Golan were taking place despite the resumption of indirect Turkey-mediated peace talks between Israel and Syria in May after an eight-year break.