Source: Manar TV, 12-2-2007
Six months after "Israeli" aggression against Lebanon came to an end; the "Israeli" occupation cabinet expects a fresh conflict with the Lebanese Islamic Resistance of Hizbullah as the occupation has admitted failures in its strategy to achieve the war`s goals.
In a sign of the Jewish state`s new priorities since the 34-day war defeat, the war budget is at a record 11 billion dollars, while social spending has been slashed.
Fresh tensions flared last week when "Israeli" occupation forces and the Lebanese army exchanged fire after the occupation soldiers violated the Lebanese territories and crossed the blue line south of Lebanon.
The United Nations called the clashes - the first since the Lebanese army and a UN peacekeeping force began patrolling south Lebanon after the war - a "breach" of the August UN-brokered ceasefire.
After that, enemy`s War Minister Amir Peretz ordered an increase in the air force`s flights over the Lebanese territory, while Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer warned that "between now and the end of the year we will enter a new conflict."
Ben-Eliezer said the "Israelis" should learn from mistakes made during the summer and "rapidly prepare the army" for war.
The length of "Israeli" obligatory military service - three years for men and two years for women - was to be reduced this year but is now being maintained until further notice.
"Israeli" occupation army Chief Lieutenant General Dan Halutz resigned last month amid a swell of domestic criticism for overestimating the effectiveness of air strikes during the war, while infantry and armored units were poorly trained and equipped.
He became the most senior head to roll since the conflict and stepped down even before the release of a report into the conduct of the war.
His replacement, Major General Gaby Ashkenazi, was a commander of the elite Golani infantry brigade and is charged with restoring the occupation "army`s reputation" after its confidence was shattered by the loss of more than 100 occupation soldiers during the war.
With little to show in the way of gains since the "Israeli" aggression, ""Israel"" has taken pains to present as a major achievement the deployment of UN peacekeepers and the Lebanese army along the border that was for years patrolled by the Islamic resistance.
But public opinion has not been swayed, with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert`s leadership further damaged by questions over his choice of an inexperienced war minister as well as a series of corruption cases and sex scandals among high-profile figures.