US worried of a large- scale Israeli aggression on South Lebanon

The Israeli daily Haartez reported that the US is worried over the impact of the Israeli elections, expected on May 17, may prompt Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to launch a new large-scale attack against Lebanon in order to raise his popularity which has been deteriorating according to Israeli opinion polls.

Officials at the Israeli Defense Ministry said that US Army officers talked recently about the possible deterioration in south Lebanon. The American officials expressed this very concern on at least four occasions during the recent weeks, especially during the last meeting between Israeli Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon and US Middle East peace process coordinator Dennis Ross.

The previous Israeli government led by Shimon Peres launched in 1996 a large-scale aggression on Lebanon, a few weeks before the elections in Israel. The attacks resulted in the deaths of more than 175 Lebanese civilians.