The militant Islamic group Hezbollah has amassed thousands of surface-to-surface missiles in southern Lebanon, including weapons missiles with sufficient range to strike cities in northern Israel, The New York Times reported on Friday.
The report said senior Israeli and Western officials were concerned that Hezbollah could step up its attacks on Israel ahead of possible US military action against Iraq.
In April the administration of US President George Bush urged Syria, which backs Hezbollah, to restrain the group but now there are concerns that the warning may be wearing off, the newspaper said.
Western and Israeli security officials say most of Hezbollah’s rockets have been provided by Iran, according to the report. They were flown to Damascus and driven by truck to southern Lebanon. The officials were concerned the buildup of so many rockets could tempt Hezbollah to expand its operations.
Adding to this worry was the fear that Iran or Syria might encourage Hezbollah to stir up tensions along Israel’s northern frontier to divert attention from Iraq and complicate the US administration’s plans to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, it said. – Sapa-AFP