From
Israel perch, U.S. vows to help counter Iran proxy threat
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[July 21, 2015]
By Phil Stewart
HUSSEIN LOOKOUT, Israel (Reuters) - As
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter walked along an Israeli lookout near
the border with Lebanon, Israel's Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon turned
to him and said: "Probably Hezbollah is watching us."
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Israel warned during Carter's visit on Monday it feared a deal on
curbing Iran's nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief
would translate into more money for Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed
Lebanese militia group, and others hostile to Israel.
Carter, standing at the Hussein Lookout, not far from the northern
Israeli border town of Manara, promised to help, trying to reassure
Israel of steadfast U.S. support following last week's deal between
Tehran and six world powers.
"Hezbollah is sponsored, of course, by Iran which is one of the
reasons why the United States will continue to help Israel counter
Iranian malign influence in this region," Carter told reporters
travelling with him.
Washington and Israel are split over the Iranian nuclear deal, with
President Barack Obama saying it makes the United States and its
allies safer. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says it does
not.
On Sunday, Netanyahu urged U.S. lawmakers to reject a deal he said
would only feed an "Iranian terror machine".
Israel is widely believed to have the only nuclear arsenal in the
Middle East.
Hezbollah, which fought the Israeli armed forces to a standstill in
their 2006 war, has since expanded its arsenal and honed its skills
helping Damascus to fight rebels in Syria.
Yaalon was careful not to criticize Carter, who he at one point
called "my dear friend, Ash". But he acknowledged the disagreement
and outlined some of the dangers he saw ahead, including from the
Palestinian group Hamas which runs Gaza.
"No doubt the proxies around us, like Hezbollah, Hamas ... we
believe they are going to get more money," Yaalon told a news
conference in Tel Aviv, standing alongside Carter.
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Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said over the weekend
that the nuclear deal would not change Tehran's policy in supporting
allies including in Lebanon, Syria and among the Palestinians.
But Carter has repeatedly stressed that although the nuclear deal
placed limits on Iran, it would not prevent the United States from
bolstering its allies in the region.
Israel believes Hezbollah has more than 100,000 missiles capable of
paralysing its civilian infrastructure. Seeking to deter the
guerrillas, Israeli generals have threatened to devastate Lebanon
should there be another full-on conflict.
Both Yaalon and Carter acknowledged the risks from the unravelling
of Syria, just to the east of the Hussein Lookout.
"The nations surrounding us are falling apart," Yaalon lamented.
Carter said the United States was "planning for various scenarios"
in Syria.
(Additional reporting by Dan Williams in Tel Aviv; editing by David
Stamp)
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