JERUSALEM, Sept 3, 2007 (AFP) - The Israeli military on Monday unveiled a five-year rearmament programme designed primarily to bolster its ground forces, whose performance was criticised during last year's Lebanon war.
"The main objective of the plan is to build, equip and train the army so that it can carry out its tasks, defend Israel and its citizens," army chief of staff General Gaby Ashkenazi was quoted as saying in a statement.
The plan was drafted after the military came under heavy criticism over the inconclusive war against Lebanon's Hezbollah and relies on an increase in US military aid to some 30 billion dollars over the next decade.
The army will strengthen its ground forces by replacing its old Merkava tanks -- which were hit by Hezbollah during the war -- with the new Merkava IV model and acquiring sophisticated armoured personnel carriers.
The army will also invest millions of dollars on developing anti-missile systems to counter the threat of rocket attacks. Hezbollah launched nearly 4,000 rockets into northern Israel during the war, killing more than 40 civilians.
The air force will buy F-35s, a multi-role stealth strike fighter, and the navy will acquire new military boats to replace its missile boats.
Ashkenazi also decided on other acquisitions to strengthen the military's "long-range" capability said the statement providing no further details.
Widely considered to be the Middle East's sole if undeclared nuclear power, Israel considers Iran its biggest strategic threat, accusing Tehran of seeking to develop atomic weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear programme -- accusations that the Islamic republic denies.
The war against Hezbollah ended under a UN-brokered ceasefire on August 14 and killed more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers.
09/03/2007 12:53 GMT