21 October 2006

Moscow believes it has settled its differences with Israel over concerns that Hizbullah fighters used Russian missiles during the recent war with the Jewish state, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said Friday, hinting that the group favored US- and Israeli-made weapons.

Israel's claims that Hizbullah fighters used Russian missiles during the war this summer have clouded improving relations between Israel and Russia, and were discussed by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert during his visit to Moscow this week.

"In my view, this subject in general is closed," Ivanov said in televised comments. He said that he could not reveal details, but that "exhaustive answers were given" to Israel, the Interfax news agency reported.

He also suggested that Russia believes Hizbullah fighters used more US- and Israeli-made weapons than Russian ones, saying a report Thursday in the Russian daily Kommersant asserted that Russia gave Israel documents proving that claim was "in many ways close to the truth."

Israel does not accuse Russia of directly supplying Hizbullah, but maintains that Russian arms were sold to Syria and Iran, which sent them on to their Hizbullah proxies.

Olmert would not say after the talks whether Russian officials confirmed Israel's claims, but he said he was "satisfied" that they would "do all in their power to take steps so we don't have to worry in the future."

Ivanov had said in August that Israel had provided no evidence that Hizbullah had Russian-designed missiles. But Kommersant, citing an unidentified Russian official involved in the talks, reported that Russia acknowledged that Hizbullah could have acquired Russian missiles from Syrian officers as they withdrew from Lebanon last year.

This came as Israel argued that its air force was compelled to fly over Lebanon despite a UN cease-fire resolution, because Hizbullah is still deployed in the south of the country and, Israel claims, continues to receive weapons shipments in violation of the truce.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev did not contend that the Israeli flights were in accordance with Security Council Resolution 1701, which included the cease-fire that brought an end to the fighting on Aug.14, but said they were forced upon Israel in the interest of its own security.

"Israel conducts overflights because there are continuous violations by the Lebanese side, which are forcing us to act," Regev said Friday. "The international arms embargo, which is an integral element of Resolution 1701, is not being applied and illicit arms are being supplied to Hizbullah and so our action is a response to their violation."

Regev also said that Israel has fulfilled most of its obligations under the resolution, while Lebanon had not and Israeli soldiers taken captive have not been freed.

"Three weeks ago our forces pulled out of Lebanon, and we have implemented our most important obligations under UN Resolution 1701," said Regev.

Israeli forces have yet to leave the divided and occupied village of Ghajar along the border. They also remain in the disputed Shebaa Farms area and the Kfar Shuba Hills.

Regev's statement came in response to Major General Alain Pellegrini, commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, who told a news briefing on Thursday that if diplomacy failed it might have explore "other ways" to halt the incursions, referring to the possible use of anti-aircraft missiles.

But Pellegrini made it clear that such a move would require "new rules of engagement drafted and decided here [and at UN headquarters]."

Meanwhile, a report leaked Friday said that Israel's air force lacked adequate ammunition and smart bombs during the war.

"There was a shortage of ammunition already at the beginning of the war," the report, conducted by the air force, was quoted as saying by Israel's leading Yediot Ahronot newspaper. "The shortages in ammunition affected the air force's activity and dictated significant limitations."

A shortage of smart bombs  was particularly serious with regard to the risk of an escalation with Syria and the possibility of a new front, the daily wrote.

Defense firms tried to make up for the shortages by stepping up production. Yediot cited foreign reports as saying the United States organized an airlift to supply Israel with  variety of high-tech bombs.

The air force says that it attacked some 7,000 targets in about 15,500 sorties over Lebanese territory during the 34-day war. - Agencies