Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Hezbollah has more rockets today than it did prior to the Second Lebanon War last summer.

According to a source who was present at the meeting, Barak was referring to both long-range and short-range rockets, and said that the rockets are situated north of the Litani River, but within striking range of Israel.

Hezbollah fired almost 4,000 rockets at northern Israel during the 34-day war in 2006, and Israeli land and air assaults caused heavy damage to Lebanese towns and neighborhoods.

The war was sparked by a Hezbollah attack on an Israeli border patrol in which three soldiers were killed and two taken captive. The fate of the captured soldiers remains unknown. More than 1,000 Lebanese and 158 Israelis died in the fighting.

In regard to the tense relationship between Israel and Syria, Barak said that he can sense that the tension is beginning to dissipate.

An associate of the defense minister explained that it appears that Israel's tireless efforts to calm Syrian fears of an imminent conflict have finally taken effect, and now the Syrians view Israel as less aggressive.

Barak told the Knesset panel that he can see "similarities between the young [current Syrian President Bashar] Assad and his father [former Syrian president Hafez] Assad."

Barak also told the committee that Israel must not pull out of the West Bank in the near future, given the threat of rocket fire on Israeli cities.

"The things we see in Gaza do not allow us to change our actions in (the West Bank),? Barak was quoted by one of the participants as saying, referring to daily rocket fire at Israel from Gaza by Palestinian militants.

He said it would take about two and a half years to develop and deploy a defense system to protect Israel's center from potential rocket attacks from the West Bank.

Monday's discussion was Barak's first appearance before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee since he was appointed defense minister. Barak outlined before the panel his general outlook on Israel's security, saying it was based on five major principles: operating an active anti-rocket defense system; improving the Israel Defense Forces' ability to maneuver in the realm of defense and protection; extending the IDF's logistical stamina in terms of supplies; increasing the amount of training exercises, including live fire training; tackling the issue of the IDF's ability to operate deep within enemy territory.

Barak also discussed the plan to relocate IDF bases to the Negev, and announced that the execution of this plan would cost some NIS 20 billion.