HEZBOLLAH BACK TO PRE-WAR STRENGTH

Mofaz: Hizbullah Back to Pre-War Strength - Herb Keinon and Yaakov Katz
Former Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, in Washington last week at the head of an Israeli team conducting a strategic dialogue with the U.S., said one of the topics under discussion is UN Resolution 1701 which ended the Second Lebanon War. "There is no implementation of 1701, and today Hizbullah is back to the strength it was at before July 12, 2006. It is not back in its positions right along the border but it is in positions - forest preserve areas - that are close to the border. They have not fulfilled the resolution. The kidnapped soldiers have not been returned; Hizbullah has not been disarmed and dismantled by the Lebanese armed forces or UNIFIL; there is no embargo on the Lebanese-Syrian border; and there is a free flow of weapons to the Hizbullah." "Now, not only are [Hizbullah] still in southern Lebanon, but they are also building a second military line north of the Litani River. Today they have a double grip - both sides of the Litani."

"There is linkage between the radical quartet - led by Iran, Syria, Hizbullah and Hamas. Non-government groups like al-Qaeda are also growing stronger. We have been talking for three to four years about al-Qaeda trying to get a foothold in the Middle East, and there have been attempts to infiltrate Israel." (Jerusalem Post)

See also Hizbullah "Has Stockpiled Rockets" on Israeli Border - Uzi Mahnaimi
Hizbullah has built a network of underground military bunkers under the feet of UN peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon close to Israel's border. It has rebuilt its fighting capability and Israeli intelligence now estimates that it has stockpiled 20,000 rockets. "Since the Israeli forces left, Hizbullah has been building formidable military underground posts under the noses of the UN," said an Israeli intelligence officer. (Sunday Times-UK)