War in Lebanon was 'severe failure' for Israel

telegraph
Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister, defied calls for his resignation last night after a government report accused him of committing a series of errors in his handling of the war in Lebanon last summer.

The Israeli premier was left clinging on to power after being accused of "severe failure" in his prosecution of the conflict with Hizbollah. During the conflict, which saw intense bombing of the Shia group's infrastructure in Lebanon, thousands of missiles rained down on northern and central Israel as Hizbollah responded.

The long-awaited official investigation into the conflict - which broke out after Hizbollah guerrillas killed three soldiers and captured two others in a cross-border raid - dealt a harsh blow that further weakened the embattled prime minister.

The report said Mr Olmert acted hastily in leading the country to war on July 12 without having a comprehensive plan. He was criticised for not asking for a detailed plan from his generals, and failing to consult experts outside the military despite his relative inexperience in defence issues.

Mr Olmert was also faulted for setting unrealistic goals - the return of the hostages and the elimination of the Hizbollah missile threat - and failing to revise the targets once it became clear the war was not going as planned.

"The prime minister bears supreme and comprehensive responsibility for the decisions of 'his' government and the operations of the army," the report said.

"The prime minister made up his mind hastily, despite the fact that no detailed military plan was submitted to him and without asking for one. Also, his decision was made without close study of the complex features of the Lebanon front and of the military, political and diplomatic options available to Israel."

The report said that Mr Olmert's response to the crisis exhibited a "lack of judgment, responsibility and caution".

After receiving a copy of the findings of the investigative panel, Mr Olmert said that the "failures will be remedied".

Israel Maimon, Mr Olmert's cabinet secretary, said the prime minister "is not considering resignation".

He added: "It is right to state as clearly as possible: the report lists difficulties, failures and mistakes by all the leaders, including the prime minister. The question is what do we do now."

The commission, appointed immediately after the end of the war in response to public uproar at the army's inability to stop Hizbollah, also had scathing criticism for two other wartime leaders, Amir Peretz, the defence minister, and Gen Dan Halutz, the former chief of staff.

The panel criticised Mr Peretz for lacking the basic knowledge to make decisions on the war effort and failing to develop a strategic approach to battle.

But it was Mr Olmert, who faced calls for his resignation before the publication of the report, who took the brunt of the criticism from the panel led by Eliyahu Winograd, a retired judge.

Amnon Abramovitch, a political commentator, told Israeli television that the report had stopped short of what would have been its most crushing verdict.

"Only one sentence is missing: 'This being the case, he cannot continue in his post'," he said.