Head of war probe panel says Lebanon war did not achieve its objectives
Associated Press | Jan 30, 08 12:00 AM CST
The head of the panel investigating Israel's 2006 Lebanon war said Wednesday that investigators found "failures and shortcomings" in the country's political and military leadership during the conflict.
Eliyahu Winograd, issuing the panel's final report on the war, told a packed auditorium in Jerusalem that the war ended without victory and the army did not provide an effective response to Hezbollah's rocket fire on Israel.
He also said a last-minute ground offensive in Lebanon did not improve Israel's position and there were "serious failings" in army command.
More than 30 Israeli soldiers were killed in that offensive launched shortly before a U.N.-brokered truce went into effect. Olmert had come under severe criticism for ordering the battle, despite his contention that the offensive improved Israel's position before the cease-fire.
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