Katz quoted as saying Israel not planning new war on Lebanon

A senior U.N. official who has recently visited Israel has quoted Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz as saying that "the Israeli army does not intend to launch a military operation against Lebanon if (U.S. envoy Tomb) Barrack's mission fails,” ad-Diyar newspaper reported on Thursday.

“Israel will not go beyond the operations it is currently carrying out,” the official quoted Katz as saying.

“The 1982 scenario will not be repeated, and there will be no large-scale military operation from Mount Hermon to al-Masnaa (border crossing), as is being reported in the media. Operations will remain within their current framework," Katz reportedly added.

The U.N. official also conveyed to Lebanese officials “an American decision to maintain stability in Lebanon, which is a priority for Washington,” ad-Diyar said.

“This was also conveyed to the officials by the Lebanese-born U.S. congressman Darrell Lahoud,” the daily added.