Israel Says Hezbollah Can Hit Tel Aviv*

By EDITH M. LEDERER,
Associated Press Writer

UNITED NATIONS - Israel alleges that Hezbollah militants in Lebanon have
rearmed with new long-range rockets capable of hitting Tel Aviv and
tripled their arsenal of land-to-sea missiles since last summer's war,
the United Nations secretary-general said in a report Wednesday.

Ban Ki-Moon said the reports of Hezbollah's rearming are a cause of
great concern for the stability of Lebanon.

"Israel has stated that the nature and number of weapons in Hezbollah's
control constitutes a strategic threat to its security and the safety of
its citizens," he said.

Israel claims Hezbollah's long-range rocket force is stationed in areas
north of the Litani River and that most of the new rockets, including
hundreds of Zilzal and Fajr generation rockets, have a range of 155
miles, "enabling them to reach Tel Aviv and points further south," the
report said.

"Israel also claims that Hezbollah has tripled its shore-to-sea C-802
missiles and have established an air defense unit armed with
ground-to-air missiles," Ban said.

While Israel has not provided the United Nations with specific
intelligence due to the sensitivity of the sources, Ban said several
speeches by Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah in the past few months
"seem to confirm these Israeli claims."

Senior Hezbollah officials have said Nasrallah's comments were made to
serve as a deterrent to aggression rather than as threats to Israel, Ban
said.

"Reports of rearming are a cause of great concern which pose serious
challenges for the sovereignty, stability and independence of Lebanon,"
he added.

Ban said Israel's contention that Hezbollah has rearmed to a level
higher than before last year's war _ and that arms continue to be
smuggled across the Lebanon-Syria border despite Syrian denials _ raise
serious concerns about implementation of the U.N. resolution that ended
the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Under the Security Council resolution, weapons transfers to the Iranian-
and Syrian-backed militants are banned. Ban warned during a visit to
Lebanon in March that arms smuggling threatened the Aug. 14, 2006
cease-fire. The resolution calls for the disarming of all militias.

Ban said there has been no progress the disarmament of Hezbollah and
other militias, although he sees this as essential to fully restoring
government authority throughout the country. The current political
crisis in Lebanon has hindered efforts to implement the resolution.

Ban has said the Chebaa Farms, captured by Israel during the 1967 war,
"remains a key issue" in implementing the 2006 resolution. The United
Nations determined that the area is Syrian. But Lebanon claims Chebaa
Farms _ a claim backed by Syria _ and Hezbollah continues to fight over
the disputed land, arguing that Israel's occupation justifies its
resistance.

The report for the first time publishes the provisional "definition" of
the Chebaa Farms area, which was prepared by a senior U.N. cartographer.

Ban said he is encouraged by the Lebanese government's first strides to
enhance the control of its borders. He again urged Syria to demarcate
its border with Lebanon and establish formal diplomatic relations with
its neighbor.

He criticized Israel for failing to provide Lebanon with "the exact
location, quantity and type of cluster munitions utilized during last
summer's conflict" which has led to an increasing number of deaths and
injuries of Lebanese civilians.

"Israel's continued violations of Lebanese airspace not only constitute
repeated violations of Security Council resolutions but also undermine
the credibility of the U.N. ... and damage efforts to reduce tension,
build confidence and stabilize the situation in southern Lebanon," Ban
said.