Israel Fears Hizbullah Chemical Weapons Use as it Prepares for “Action” in Case of an Attack
Israel has warned Hizbullah against obtaining chemical weapons at a time when a wide-scale exercise of the Israeli army”s field intelligence unit, Shahaf, was completed on the northern border.
Shahaf Commander Lt. Col. Motti said that Hizbullah continues to make preparations for war. "Below the surface, there is extensive activity whose goal, quite clearly, is to prepare for the day of visit."
"We are likely to take a hit, but even if we don”t manage to thwart every event, we will be able to inflict a price. This is why we are strenuously preparing a “target bank”. When the need arises, we”ll know how to take action against them," Israeli media quoted Motti as saying.
"From their first day in the field until their release, these soldiers are in the same territorial area and are well-acquainted with Hizbullah, its activities, the differences between villages, and know how to notice any unusual incident," explained the regiment commander.
During the exercise, the soldiers were loaded onto helicopters on their way to "the battle zone," and carried out complex movements. They acted out the role of civilian Hizbullah fighters who fire "rockets" into Israeli territory.
The maneuvers included four days of walking with heavy load on the back of the soldiers, settling into undetectable positions, locating targets deep inside Lebanese territory to kidnap or kill Hizbullah members.
The extensive exercise was part of a series of Israeli army maneuvers, including ground and naval.
Meanwhile, Israel has expressed fears over reports that Hizbullah had obtained chemical weapons from Iran.
The Kuwaiti daily Al-Seyassah had quoted Western and European intelligence sources as claiming that Iran had provided Hizbullah with chemical weapons and "thousands" of gas masks.
A high-ranking Israeli officer told Israeli radio: "The issue is not new … However there is a big difference between attempts to acquire such weapons and the ability to use them."
"If a chemical weapon was used against Israel, then the rules of the game would change. If either Hizbullah or Hamas movement decided to use such a weapon, they should know that the Israeli army will respond with force," he added.