Halutz: We didn't know we only had 48 hours for expanded raid

Ha'aretz ^ | 08/16/2006 | Gideon Alon

[APRPEH]

The decision to expand the ground operation in Lebanon and advance to the Litani River was not made with the knowledge that the fighting would end within 48 hours, Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Wednesday.

"When we began the operation, we did not know we only had 48 hours. We knew a diplomatic process was set to begin, but we didn't know we'd have to stop after 48 hours," Halutz said. He noted that when the decision to expand the fighting was made, the United Nations Security Council had not yet approved a resolution on the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah. He also said the operation had been planned for Wednesday, but was delayed by two days due to diplomatic efforts being made.

Halutz hinted that the expansion of the operation was meant to apply pressure on the UN.

"It is likely that the political echelons understood that the military expansion must be implemented so as to help with the UN Security Council decision," Halutz said, noting that the resolution had been modified.

MK Danny Yatom (Labor) asked why IDF troops were ordered to advance, even after it was reported that the United States and France had reached an agreement on the resolution. Halutz did not respond to the question.

Halutz said there are "fundamental questions that must be checked and investigated, conclusions must be made, and corrections need to be made from the top to the bottom, from me to the commanders to the brigades. Each thing must be examined."

[APRPEH]

should be subtitled: Halutz fights back

keep the politicians off the front. Olmert can retire now.

[goldstategop]

Dan Halutz and the politicians will blame each other for the fiasco. That's why they ALL need to go!

(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo!)

[mewzilla]

Why did Halutz sell shares after Hizbullah attack?

[section9]

Halutz sold the "air only" option to Olmert, who bought it to keep casualties down. This is sort of a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" notion of politics in Israel.

This guy doesn't want to end up on the scrap heap of Israeli battle history, like Bar-Lev and his famous "line".

Be Seeing You,

Chris

[chilepepper]

and the stupid Olmert *halted* the initial incursion on Wednesday, costing an additional 48 hours...

[tennmountainman]

The sonner The Bush administration stops propping up this sorry Gov, the better.

[goldstategop]

Had the Cabinet green-lighted the operation last Monday, Israel would be on the outskirts of Sidon and the Bekaa Valley today. And its political position would have been a lot stronger. Instead, the government wasted an entire week playing games and then when the operation was finally launched it didn't do all that it could have accomplished had it been allowed to proceed a couple of days earlier.

(No more Olmert! No more Kadima! No more Oslo!)

[Gritty]

Even a great army is defeated when run by incompetent Generals.

[Mike Darancette]

I don't understand Israel's weeks of doing "reconnaissance in force" operations.

[colorado tanker]

You and me both. Seems to me Olmert and his cabinet have a lot to answer for in taking the air-only option and handcuffing the army.

[Ancesthntr]

"When we began the operation, we did not know we only had 48 hours. We knew a diplomatic process was set to begin, but we didn't know we'd have to stop after 48 hours," Halutz said. He noted that when the decision to expand the fighting was made, the United Nations Security Council had not yet approved a resolution on the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah. He also said the operation had been planned for Wednesday, but was delayed by two days due to diplomatic efforts being made.

Halutz hinted that the expansion of the operation was meant to apply pressure on the UN.

BS. He was the one advising Olmert, presenting options to him, etc. I simply don't believe that he didn't know. This is some very clear CYA action going on, and it cannot be allowed. Israel needs a special commission on this war's conduct, just as there was one after the fiasco of the Yom Kippur War.

I'd also like to know why on Earth Israel was running the war to apply pressure on the UN. Is the sky some different color on Halutz's planet, where Bizarro Israel was fighting the Bizarro UN's soldiers? That he could even state something as absurd as this is an indictment of the highest order of Olmert, the Security Cabinet and Halutz - you fight your enemy YOURSELF, you don't have others - especially the freaking UN do it for you. That means that Israel should have fought the war as if there was no hope at all for a diplomatic solution - i.e. with the sole intent of completely smashing the ability of Hezbollah to hurt Israel, both in the immediate time frame and for years to come (or ever). That this was not done is, at a minimum, proof of gross incompetence.

Halutz should be a man and resign. Olmert should find his betzim and call for new elections. Since neither has shown the character to do the right thing, then other leaders need to call for a special commission and for new elections. Bibi, the ball is in YOUR court - don't let us hear the sound of crickets, SAY SOMETHING!

[tennmountainman]

He is the highest ranking IDF military leader and he did NOT KNOW?

Something is already wrong with that picture.

[Convert from ECUSA]

Israel's McClellan Ping!

[Mike Darancette]

You and me both.

If Israel had done in the first 48 hours what they did in the last 48 hours there would have been a very different result.

[Polybius]

Halutz sold the "air only" option to Olmert, who bought it to keep casualties down.

The "Air Power Can Win a War All By Itself" advocates have been around since before Halutz was born and they have never been proved correct in a non-nuclear war.

During World War One, artillery barrages lasting days would saturate fixed trench lines with a tonnage of high explosives that would dwarf what even a modern air force can deliver today and the enemy would still survive by going deeper into ground.

Air power is indispensable to modern warfare and can wreck infrastructure, logistics and deny movement to the enemy but, to make the final kill, history has shown time and again that you still need boots on the ground.

[Battleofbritain]

"Air power is indispensable to modern warfare and can wreck infrastructure, logistics and deny movement to the enemy but, to make the final kill, history has shown time and again that you still need boots on the ground."

Not only are you correct about this, but it was even more the case in this particular war. Hizballah's entire strength is in its rocket capability. It's achilles heel is that it's rockets and launchers are only defended by a sparse guerilla force, totally vulnerable to ground attack.
To use a chess analogy, Israel went after all of the pawns when the king was exposed.

[txhurl]

bttt

I'm so disgusted with this. They're rushing back S. Lebanon to rebuild, knowing full well this ain't over.

Netenyahu must be in full-hurl mode.

[untrained skeptic]

Why did Halutz sell shares after Hizbullah attack?

Maybe because he expected that the Israeli politicians were going to only authorize a level of response that would undermine Israel's security and cause a drop in the stock market.

That's hardly insider information.

The article and that thread and the others you provided links to in that thread base their stories on unnamed sources and rumors.

Have you found any reports of problems with Halutz that have any solid information in them?

[Gunny P]

more like imcompetent politicians were calling the shots..like privates, generals just do what they're told.

[Battleofbritain]

I'm honestly puzzled as to why the west and the current Israeli leadership think that deploying the Lebanese army to the south is a victory. Doesn't this just create a diplomatic shield for Hizbullah?