Haaretz: France may fire on Israeli Overflights

Peretz: French UNIFIL commanders say it will fire at IAF overflights

By Gideon Alon, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service
Commanders of the French contingent of the United Nations force in Lebanon have warned that they might have to open fire if Israel Air Force warplanes continue their overflights in Lebanon, Defense Minister Amir Peretz told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday.

Peretz said that nevertheless, Israel would continue to patrol the skies over Lebanon as long as United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701 remained unfulfilled, adding that such operations were critical for the country's security, especially as the abducted IDF soldiers remain in Hezbollah custody and the transfer of arms continue.

Over the past few days, Peretz said, Israel had gathered clear evidence that Syria was transferring arms and ammunition to Lebanon, meaning that the embargo imposed by UN Resolution 1701 was not being completely enforced.

Israel plans to inform the joint committee of representatives of UNIFIL, the Israel Defense Forces and the Lebanese Army that unless the arms transfers are stopped, Israel will be forced to take independent action, Peretz said.

Turning to the situation in the Gaza Strip, Peretz said that Israel could
under no circumstances allow the Strip to be turned into a second South
Lebanon. According to Peretz, the time when Israel used to check who was
sending every missile is over, and the IDF is intent on striking at every
terrorist no matter what organization he belongs to.

The defense minister said that the current ground operations underway in the Gaza Strip were much more extensive than before. But, he said, "No one is hankering for ground action deep inside the entire Gaza Strip."

The head of research at Military Intelligence, Lieutenant Colonel Yossi
Baidatz, said that Syria was continuing to develop long-range (up to 700kms) missiles and that some of its troops were still widely deployed on the Golan Heights, noting, however, that this was a defensive rather than offensive deployment.

Original article posted here.