Despite close defense ties, the defense establishment refused numerous requests
from France for evidence to back up Israeli claims that Syria last year
transferred long-range Scud missiles to Hezbollah in Lebanon, visiting former
French defense minister Hervé Morin told
The Jerusalem Post on
Monday.
Last April, Israeli defense officials said that Syria had
transferred long-range Scud missiles to Hezbollah in Lebanon. A month later,
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu told his Italian counterpart, Silvio
Berlusconi, that Hezbollah was storing the missiles inside Syrian military
bases.
RELATED:
WikiLeaks: US warned Syria against giving Hizbullah scuds
'Scud reports add to tensions'
‘Hizbullah has Syrian missile base’ “I asked a number of times to receive evidence to back up Israel’s
claims,” said Morin, who served was defense minister until November and
currently leads the New Center Party. “They never presented proof, which raises
question marks about the claims to begin with.”
Morin, 49, said that he
was asked by the French government to cancel his trip to Israel due to the
current upheaval in the Middle East but he decided to go ahead with the trip due
to its importance. During the interview, Morin wore a “Free Gilad
Schalit” button that he had received on Sunday during a visit to the abducted
soldier’s parents, Aviva and Noam.
“I promised that my first trip would
be to Israel,” he said. “I came for political meetings but also to learn about
the country’s economic success and how, despite the complicated security
challenges it faces, it has still succeeded economically.”
While he
questioned the veracity of the Israeli claims regarding the transfer of Scuds to
Hezbollah, Morin stressed the need to bolster the Lebanese Armed Forces, which
he said is a key player in ensuring that Lebanon remains an independent
country.
In December, Israeli defense officials expressed concern with a
French decision to transfer HOT anti-tank missiles to the Lebanese
army. Israel’s concern is that the missiles could fall into the hands of
Hezbollah and be used against the IDF.
“It is in our interest that the
LAF is strong and that there is stability within Lebanon,” he said, rejecting
the criticism of the possible sale. “Lebanon is an independent country and we
need to strengthen the official government there to ensure it remains
independent.”
On Sunday, Morin held talks with Strategic Affairs Minister
Moshe Ya’alon and President Shimon Peres that focused on the Iranian nuclear
threat. According to a US diplomatic cable published recently by
WikiLeaks, Morin was told by his American counterpart, Robert Gates, in February
2010 that Israel could strike Iran’s nuclear facilities without US
support.
In Monday’s interview, Morin came out unequivocally against an
Israeli military strike, warning of the regional ramifications. He also warned
against Iran succeeding in obtaining nuclear power that would set off a nuclear
arms race throughout the Middle East. Morin referred to the ongoing
demonstrations in Iran and said that they had the potential to topple the
Islamist regime.
“We shouldn’t even think about military action,” he
said. “We need effective sanctions. What is happening in Libya could also
happen in Iran, and that could be a good thing.”
The Defense Ministry declined to comment.