The Israel Defense Force will not consider any large-scale action against the Islamic fundamentalist Hezbollah movement, Prime Minister Shimon Peres said this week.
The premier’s remarks came as tensions have increased in both northern Israel and the southern Lebanon security zone.
This month, four IDF soldiers were killed in the zone and more than a dozen were hurt in roadside explosions and clashes with Hezbollah fighters.
The prime minister said that “this is not the time for any kind of activity” because of the media’s heavy focus on the area.
Peres added that Israeli policy in southern Lebanon has not changed.
“Whoever tries to hurt Israel will be punished,” he said.
Hezbollah has said it would launch Katyusha rockets on northern Israel if the IDF mounted a large-scale action.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
