Barak: Egypt's revolt has no military repercussions

Accompanying Lt.-Gen. Gantz on his first tour of Lebanon border as IDF chief, defense minister weighs in on situation in Middle East

Hagai Einav|Published: 02.15.11 , 18:37

Less than 24 hours after he was appointed IDF chief of staff, Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz went out to tour Israel's border with Lebanon, accompanied by Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Northern Command Chief Major-General Gadi Eisenkot.

During their visit, they met with officers and were briefed by commanders about the activity taking place in the region. Gantz refused to answer reporters' questions, but noted that despite this being his first visit as military chief, he is quite familiar with the northern border.

"The look-outs on the other side are recognizing the new chief of staff," Barak said, praising Gantz. "He headed the Northern Command Reserve Core, the Liaison Unit with Lebanon and served as Northern Command chief. He knows the other side well."

Speaking to the IDF's Granite Unit of the Nachal Brigade, the defense minister stated that the whole Middle East region is undergoing significant changes.

"In Lebanon, the government has changed, an inconvenient government with a connection to Hezbollah," he said. "We saw what is happening in Tunisia and Egypt."

"There is no doubt that Hezbollah remembers well what it got from us in 2006, but this situation won't last forever," he added. "We must be better prepared and better trained. Every little mistake has consequences and a heavy price. We must focus on the targets."

Addressing the Egypt-Israeli relations, he said that the peace treaty will remain unaffected. "At this point, the events that occurred don't have any military repercussions," he said.

During the visit, the officers and soldiers told Gantz and Barak about the training that they have undergone lately, and noted that conditions have improved considerably compared to those they experienced in the not-so-distant past.