Arens, in press interviews, said the ceasefire understandings which ended Israel's 1996 Grapes of Wrath offensive against the Lebanese guerrilla movement Hezbollah ``were bad for the Israeli army'' stationed in Israel's self-declared `security zone' in South Lebanon.

``The understandings create a situation in which Hezbollah is free to launch attacks against Israeli and South Lebanon army soldiers in the security zone and we are not free to attack their bases,'' Arens said.

``That is an asymmetry which I think makes it very difficult for the Israeli army,'' said Arens, a hawk named defence minister just last month.

Asked if Israel could abandon the understandings, Arens said: ``It is a possibility among a number of options that we have to look at.''

The truce accords ``tie the army's hands and won't allowit to use its full capability and they provide a large degree of immunity to Hezbollah,'' he said.

Israel signed the US-brokered truce accord to end a 17-day air and artillery offensive against Hezbollah in April 1996 which left 175 Lebanese dead, almost all civilians. The offensive was launched in response to repeated Hezbollah rocket attacks on northern Israel.