Defense Minister Ehud Barak in a meeting on Monday with US Vice President Dick Cheney in Washington explained that Syria continues to play a major role in arming Hizbullah.

Barak explained that during the past two years since the Second Lebanon War, Hizbullah has doubled and perhaps tripled its missile arsenal, including an array of longer-range missiles capable of striking deeper into Israel.

Barak stressed that Israel has been monitoring the situation in southern Lebanon since the summer of 2006 and as a result of Hizbullah’s continued efforts to arm itself, there are now signs of change in the “delicate balance of power in Lebanon,” which Israel views as a serious issue.

On Tuesday, Mr. Barak is expected to meet with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and National Security Advisor Stephen Handley.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)