Israeli army chief of staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said Monday that the military underwent significant improvements since the 2006 war with Hizbullah and “has the answer” to any future conflict.
“Since the Second Lebanon War, we have done an all encompassing review of the possibility we may need to fight again in the North. We understand what we need to do next time and the IDF has the answer,” Ashkenazi told Army Radio in a question and answer session.

“It is a strong and high quality military, and I trust it,” he stressed.

Ashkenazi added, however, that it was not in Hizbullah’s interest to start a new conflict.

“We are monitoring closely what is happening inside of Lebanon. Hizbullah continues to become stronger,” he said.

Turning to Iran, the general said the best way to deal with Tehran’s nuclear threat is sanctions.

“If (sanctions don’t work), Israel has the right to defend itself, and all means can be used to achieve this,” Ashkenazi added.

About a U.N. report on Israel’s winter offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the general said the document was “biased and unbalanced.”

Referring to Richard Goldstone, the South African prosecutor who wrote the report, the Israeli military chief told Army Radio: “He ignored Hamas (rocket) fire. As the one who planned the operation, I say that we have a moral army; we did everything we could to lessen the harm to noncombatants.”