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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. (Flash 90)
Last update - 08:35 20/08/2008
Olmert: Israel will unleash all its force if Hezbollah siezes Lebanon
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent, and The Associated Press
Tags: Olmert, Israel 

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned on Tuesday if Lebanon were to become a terrorist state under the domination of Hezbollah, Israel would unleash more massive firepower at its disposal.

Olmert said if Hezbollah guerrillas attack again as the dominant force in Lebanon, Israel will hit back harder than before. He said Israel "did not use all means to respond then, but if Lebanon becomes a Hezbollah state, then we won't have any restrictions in this regard." He did not elaborate on this issue.

The prime minister warned the next war with Lebanon would involve attacks on Israel's cities, saying a future conflict "will reach the cities and homes of Israeli citizens and the goal of our enemy will be to hurt the home front."
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Speaking during a visit Tuesday to the Home Front Command, Olmert said a future war will be conducted differently than the Second Lebanon War. "Gone are the days when wars are fought on remote and hidden battlefields while life in the cities carries on as usual," he said.

In 2006 Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon fired almost 4,000 rockets at northern Israel during a monthlong war that ended in a United Nations brokered cease-fire.

Olmert's remarks were released in a statement by his office.

The premier further stressed the importance of maintaining calm and preventing panic among the public in light of media reports pointing to increasingly dangerous threats to the country. "We don't need to scare ourselves too much with regards to the threats," Olmert said. "Ultimately, the threat that we foresee in our imaginations is more demonic than it really is.

"In many respects, the Home Front Command will be the first and most important command in any future war and I am impressed by the astounding progress in its readiness and the change in its mindset," Olmert said.

During the visit, Olmert was briefed on the Home Front command's preparedness and its efforts to internalize and implement the lessons learned as a result of the errors made during the Second Lebanon War. The prime minister received a synopsis of the Home Front Command's emergency plans in the face of threats to Israel's interior, as well as contingency plans for meeting civilians' needs in wartime, methods of operation, and deployment strategies.

Accompanying Olmert during his visit were Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai; IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi; Home Front Command chief Yair Golan; the director-general of the Prime Minister's Office, Ra'anan Dinur; and other officials from the defense ministry, the IDF, and the PMO.

The Lebanese unity government approved a political platform earlier this month, according to which Hezbollah enjoys the right to use all means at its disposal "to liberate land occupied by Israel."

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      1.   In the last war, Israel was more of a terrorist state 18:59  |  Natallie Durson 19/08/08
      2.   Sadly, Olmert has no credibility and is extremely weak. 19:06  |  Dan 19/08/08
      3.   Olmert must go home 19:23  |  Imad 19/08/08
      4.   Nutalie 19:32  |  X` 19/08/08
      5.   ignorants lebanese arab will remain a big whole 19:44  |  Tamir Palestine 19/08/08
      6.   And just what is Gaza you failure of a PM 19:50  |  Gilbert 19/08/08
      7.   First we need a new PM 20:06  |  Michael 19/08/08
      8.   Hezbanon, it will be your `all means` against our `all means` 20:11  |  Dan 19/08/08
      9.   NEVEL CHAMBERLAIN OLDMERDE-PEACESHNOOK 20:18  |  jewish doctor 19/08/08
      10.   Lebanon is already a terrorist state 20:23  |  Dwido 19/08/08
      11.   HOW I WISH NUCLEAR PAKISTAN JOINS WAR AGAINST ISRAEL 20:27  |  JACKAL 19/08/08
      12.   To #1 20:27  |  Dwido 19/08/08
      13.   Actually Natalie 20:27  |  Gil 19/08/08
      14.   No Restraint by Lebanon 20:32  |  isratinian 19/08/08
      15.   yeshayhu 49 20:32  |  Paul 19/08/08
      16.   Natallie, if you think... 20:35  |  judith 19/08/08
      17.   Israel was founded on terror and continues to be 20:35  |  Guy From NYC 19/08/08
      18.   Olmert is not telling Israelis what they do not know.... 20:50  |  Natasha 19/08/08
      19.   jewish doctor 20:52  |  northern neighbor 19/08/08
      20.   Durson The Dupe/Dope: 21:10  |  Brad 19/08/08
      21.   where have we heard same countless warnings before 21:12  |  anybody? 19/08/08
      22.   Folks, why do you respond? 21:13  |  Ben 19/08/08
      23.   Gil - Israels right to exist 21:17  |  Natallie Durson 19/08/08
      24.   Gil 21:19  |  GS 19/08/08
      25.   Olmert said "Israel "did not use all means to respond then..." 21:25  |  bat yam 19/08/08
      26.   Durson wouldn`t know a terrorist if one blew up beside her 21:32  |  Joe Sittizen 19/08/08
      27.   Russia/Georgia - Israel/Lebanon 21:44  |  Goldberg 19/08/08
      28.   And since when has Israel ever shown `restraint` before? 21:47  |  peacelover 19/08/08
      29.   Better vision to prevent terrorist state than a vision of war. 21:53  |  John Isenhower 19/08/08
      30.   NUKES AND BI0-HORROR WMD? 22:16  |  CHOSEN WORLD 19/08/08
      31.   No known addresses in US for Natalie Durson 22:19  |  dov epstein 19/08/08
      32.   northern neighbor we do not want your failed state as friend 22:21  |  Dan 19/08/08
      33.   war 22:43  |  Romanos 19/08/08
      34.   JACKAL WILL SEE INDIA RESPOND WITH TOTAL FORCE 22:44  |  v.hardman 19/08/08
      35.   Listen to what Olmert has to say. 22:47  |  David 19/08/08
      36.   Natallie Durson is a foolish person 22:58  |  Andre Scott 19/08/08
      37.   Olmert only wants to convince ppl he`s not a loser 00:07  |  Libanais au Canada 20/08/08
      38.   PEACELOVER.When you did not attack Israel 00:08  |  PETER SM 20/08/08
      39.   @22 00:16  |  BB 20/08/08
      40.   No Restraint by Russia 00:48  |  Pablo B 20/08/08
      41.   #10 Dwido 00:58  |  ballistic 20/08/08
      42.   #20 Say Bat yam re "insufficient force" 01:03  |  ballistic 20/08/08
      43.   More empty bluster 01:14  |  Moshe 20/08/08
      44.   Olmert forgets 01:46  |  Ajaii Burns 20/08/08
      45.   #22 Andre Scott. The Port of Jounieh? 02:03  |  Maureen Ann 20/08/08
      46.   re 22 Just wait one minute Andre 02:06  |  Alan the real one 20/08/08
      47.   GUY from NY more slogans will not change history 02:31  |  PETER SM 20/08/08
      48.   Key words. "Liberate. Occupied Land" 02:34  |  Mike 20/08/08
      49.   re 19 Your frinds or my freinds 02:35  |  Alan the real one 20/08/08
      50.   Israel is in over it"s head. 03:32  |  George 20/08/08
      51.   Russia needs to "secretly" proliferate nuclear and missile tech. 03:48  |  The Response 20/08/08
      52.   Olmert blusters, and Assad gains..... 03:49  |  Johnboy 20/08/08
      53.   Just in case anyone is wondering why Israel developed nukes 03:53  |  Morris Valentine 20/08/08
      54.   #4 04:34  |  antoine 20/08/08
      55.   Russia was always the supplier of terror in ME 04:40  |  tHE dEBA 20/08/08
      56.   wHERE the SCUDS came from 04:44  |  Abu Yusuf 20/08/08
      57.   There was restraint before? I must have missed it 04:45  |  American in NY 20/08/08
      58.   Russia weighs 04:51  |  Dan 20/08/08
      59.   And Natallie, Bush Jr. never seemed to mind... 05:02  |  BBSNews 20/08/08
      60.   Morris, I thought you were a smart guy... 05:20  |  BBSNews 20/08/08
      61.   Stupid Russians act out of hate 05:23  |  Jon 20/08/08
      62.   Syria will buy more Russian junk? 05:26  |  Bob 20/08/08
      63.   Russia AND China ! 05:38  |  David James Vickery 20/08/08
      64.   Israel aids Russia 05:43  |  Adam 20/08/08
      65.   Civilian deaths in Lebanon... 05:44  |  zengeos 20/08/08
      66.   Antoine 38-innocent naif 05:46  |  Stephen in New York 20/08/08
      67.   The Response, do you want everybody dead? 05:50  |  Bruce 20/08/08
      68.   Am in NY DF restraint 05:51  |  zengeos 20/08/08
      69.   Andre won`t be back Alan, he`s a hit and run... 05:52  |  BBSNews 20/08/08