Channels

Photo: Reuters
'We are not at war with the Lebanese people .' Olmert
Photo: Reuters

PM: IDF acting with no restraints

Olmert says during cabinet meeting, ‘army has all the time, flexibility to carry out its mission in Lebanon’; adds: there is a possibility that the population that cooperates with Hizbullah will get hurt, although they are not on our target list

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stressed in a cabinet meeting Sunday that "the IDF has all the time and the flexibility to carry out its mission. The army's operations are being carried out with no restraints."

 

Olmert refused to go into the details of the ground operations in Lebanon, and told his ministers: "We needn't let the entire world know what's being done here and what isn't. Whoever is concerned or wants to know what is happening will be informed in due course."

 

"I don't remember many periods in the past during which the IDF and the political echelon enjoyed good contacts and such a transparency in their relations. We shall not hide or blur anything. This is our only way," the PM stated.

 

Referring to Lebanon and its leadership, Olmert noted that Israel was not fighting against a regular army. "(Lebanese PM) Fouad Siniora is a partner for negotiations and this may eventually transpire. We are not at war with the Lebanese people and I do not wish to harm the quality of their lives."

 

'Diplomatic efforts must be promoted'

 

Commenting on the civilian casualties in the fighting, the PM stated that "there is a possibility that the population that cooperates with Hizbullah will get hurt, although they are not on our target list. They are just more exposed to the strikes. This is a confrontation which obliges us to be cautious in the air and on the ground, and this is how we operate."

 

"We offer our utmost support to the IDF. It has the necessary freedom of action. Even in the midst of a diplomatic process, our fire power will not be jeopardized," Olmert vowed, and told the ministers that "every decision is being weighed and we execute the tasks with the required caution and precision."

 

Defense Minister Amir Peretz said in the meeting that the IDF's ground operations in Lebanon focused on limited forays, and that they did not constitute an invasion of Lebanon. "The achievements are beginning to leave their mark on Hizbullah, but diplomatic efforts must be promoted along military actions in order to complete the task."

 

Peretz stressed that the army's efforts to destroy terror infrastructure built along the border continue, and that they are proof of the large amount of arms inserted into the region by Hizbullah. He also said that while the army has been successful in taking out long-range rocket launchers, destroying short-range rocket launchers has proved to be more problematic. However, he stated, the army has the capacity of pushing the rockets away from the border.

 

The defense minister spoke of his tour in the north this weekend, during which he visited with injured in the hospitals and residents in bomb shelters. "The home front provides us with timer, and the international community grants us legitimization – these give us room for diplomatic and military maneuvers," he said.

 

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said in the meeting that her Ministry was working "to create a situation in which stationing international forces in Lebanon will be effective and in accordance with Israel's interests, and the international community's resolutions." She added that the international community should be involved in formulating a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

 


פרסום ראשון: 07.23.06, 16:30
 new comment
Warning:
This will delete your current comment