[Ha'aretz] Yuval Azoulay - Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Tuesday that Hizbullah has more rockets than before the Second Lebanon War. "Hizbullah is secretly bolstering its power south of the Litani River, but UNIFIL's presence is making that task more difficult," he noted. On the Iranian nuclear threat, Ashkenazi said, "The option of dialogue, alongside imposing sanctions, is preferable in our view, but as chief of staff, my obligation is to prepare for every alternative for dealing with this matter, and that is what I'm doing." He added that Israel and moderate Arab states in the region have a common interest in stopping Tehran's nuclear ambitions. "Iran is very vulnerable from an economic standpoint, and firm pressure and sanctions can influence the Iranian regime to reconsider its nuclear policy."
2009-05-27 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive