Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak
"...MIN. BARAK: We feel that the Syrians keep backing the Hezbollah in the -- in a damaging way, that they convey to the Hezbollah weapons systems that can turn or disrupt the very delicate balance in Lebanon. And those balance-disrupting weapons systems, including the rockets or missiles, are considered to be a threat to the stability of the region. We do not intend to provoke any kind of a major collision in Lebanon or vis-a-vis Syria, as it were mentioned..."
Reference: www.defense.gov .
