JERUSALEM, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz says he was unaware of the threat Hezbollah's missile arsenal posed when he took office four months ago.
Peretz said when he took charge of the ministry, senior military officials had Hezbollah at the "bottom of the priority list," the Ha'aretz newspaper reported.
On July 14, Hezbollah militants kidnapped two Israeli soldiers from a border post, launching a monthlong battle in which more than 3,000 Hezbollah rockets rained down on northern Israel.
While a U.N.-brokered cease-fire went into effect Monday, Hezbollah officials have been quoted as saying their missile stockpile is large enough to maintain a 3-year battle.
Peretz drew criticism from the military this week when he announced he had appointed a committee to examine the events of the war. Senior officers claim the committee couldn't be objective and wouldn't be examining Peretz's decisions in the conflict, the newspaper said.
