LEBANON : Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz says Israel will recruit more reserves, as family bury soldier killed in Lebanon

Israel's army will order up to three divisions of reserve soldiers to report for duty as it fights Hizbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, the military chief said on Thursday (July 27). At a joint news conference held in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, Israel's Defence Minister Amir Peretz and army chief Dan Halutz said Israel will continue its offensive in Lebanon. "This is how we'll act against whoever threatens and harms Israeli citizens. We will return fire with a harsh and deadly hit. Our goals are to change the situation at the northern border. What has been cannot be anymore. The aim is to create reality in which the Hizbollah does not threaten the Israeli citizens, not now and not in the future. The goal is to make sure that the Hizbollah will not sit on the fence (Israel's northern border), will not plan to attack Israel. The goal is not to allow a murderous and extremist group to destabilize again and again the stability in the region. The Hizbollah will never be the same again. It might take time, it might take more power," Peretz said. Halutz added that in order to continue the operation and to be prepared for further escalation, Israel will recruit more reservists. "I will say it like that: first we are recruiting the commanders and when the time comes and there will be a need we will recruit the soldiers. There are two reasons for that: one, the commanders have to prepare the operations so that the soldiers can join them, especially the training process. We are talking about a framework of up to 3 divisions," he said. That could amount to around 15,000 soldiers. At the same time in the northern Israeli city of Haifa thousands attended the funeral for Yiftah Shrier, an Israeli soldier who was killed in battles in southern Lebanon on Wednesday (July 26).

ITN Source | July 28, 2006

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