Israel”s Military Accuses Syria of Arming Hizbullah
A senior Israeli military official on Sunday accused Syria of arming Hizbullah in violation of a UN Security Council resolution which ended the 2006 war between Israel and the Lebanese militia.
"Syria has become Hizbullah “s arms warehouse," military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin told minister during the Israeli cabinet”s weekly meeting, according to another senior official.
" Hizbullah activists are doing whatever they want in Syria. Syria has removed all restrictions and through its irresponsible behavior it allows Hezbollah access to nearly all of its strategic capabilities."
Israel has repeatedly accused Syria of arming Hizbullah and allowing Iranian weapons into Lebanon in violation of Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended a 34-day war between Israel and the Lebanese militia two years ago.
Israeli officials have refrained from openly accusing Syria of supporting Hizbullah since the two states announced in May they were holding Turkish-mediated peace talks after an eight-year hiatus.
Resolution 1701 provided for the pullout of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and their replacement by a U.N.-backed Lebanese army deployment.
It also called for the disarming of all militias — an allusion to Hizbullah as well as to Palestinian militant groups — and the prevention of illegal arms sales and smuggling operations in Lebanon.
Israel launched a massive offensive after the July 12, 2006 capture of two soldiers in a deadly cross-border raid by Hizbullah.
The bodies of the two soldiers were returned to Israel last summer in a prisoner swap.