Israel 'will resume bombing' of Gaza if Hamas reopens tunnels

Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, said the unilateral ceasefire declared last week would not constrain Israel's efforts to ensure the flow of weapons from Egypt to Gaza was permanently impaired."For the tunnels, nothing will be as it was before," she said. "Things must be clear – Israel reserves the right to react militarily against the tunnels once and for all."If we have to act, we will do so, we will exercise our right to legitimate defence, we will not leave our fate to the Egyptians, nor to the Europeans nor to the Americans."Israel is attempting to assemble an international coalition to thwart weapons sales to Hamas, which would include patrols by US and European navies and improved monitoring of the Egyptian side of the border using high technology.The US Navy was reported to have intercepted one Iranian vessel in the Red Sea that was carrying arms for landing in Sinai.Hundreds of tunnels run under the border, most were built during an 18-month economic blockade of the 1.5 million strong territory. Smugglers told Israeli newspapers that the flow of goods "never stopped" during the 22-day bombing campaign.During the offensive on Hamas in Gaza, Israel bombed hundreds of tunnels on the Gaza-Egypt border. Destroying the tunnels – also the main supply route for Gaza's Hamas rulers boycotted by the West – was one of the main goals of Operation Cast Lead that Israel unleashed on Hamas on December 27 The Israeli military estimates that between 60 to 70 per cent of tunnels were destroyed during its bombing campaign, the evidence of which is everywhere one looks along the border.Ehud Barak, the defence minister, also warned that Israel, having destroyed 150 tunnels, would not standby and allow smuggling to resume. He said: "If we are forced to, there will be more attacks."
By Damien McElroy in Jerusalem
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/4313904/Israel-will-resume-bombing-of-Gaza-if-Hamas-reopens-tunnels.html
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