Israelis Unhappy With War's Outcome
Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz on Wednesday created a committee to investigate Israel's conduct during the 34-day fight against Hezbollah guerrillas, senior defense officials said.
The committee, made up of business executives and retired generals, will be led by a former army chief and will look into the army's preparedness ahead of the fighting, the officials said.
The formation of the committee was a step toward addressing criticism over the handling of the crisis but fell short of meeting growing demands for the creation of an independent commission of inquiry to investigate both the government's and the military's performance.
Seventy percent of Israelis disagree with the government's decision to accept a cease-fire without the return of the two soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah, reports CBS News correspondent Robert Berger. According to a poll, only 40 percent are pleased with the performance of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, down from 80 percent in the early days of the war. And 57 percent believe Peretz should resign. The poll reflects the perception among the public that Israel did not win the war.
Meanwhile, Israel's military chief said Wednesday that Israeli soldiers would remain in southern Lebanon for months, if necessary, until replaced by a combined force of U.N. and Lebanese army soldiers, Israel Radio reported.
Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz spoke in response to an intelligence assessment that it could take months for the U.N.-Lebanese force to deploy, the radio station reported. On Tuesday, Halutz predicted Israel would withdraw its forces from Lebanon within seven- to 10 days.
In other developments:
The Jerusalem Post reported that if the international force fails to disarm Hezbollah, Israel would resume the war.
Israeli officials say a deal reportedly reached by Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah allowing Hezbollah to keep its weapons but refrain from exhibiting them in public violates the U.N. cease-fire resolution.
"There has to be pressure on Hezbollah to disarm or there will have to be another round," an official in the prime minister's office said.
And the Lebanese cabinet apparently skirted the issue of disarming Hezbollah.
A top government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak before a formal announcement was made, said that the decision to deploy the Lebanese army south of the Litani River had been approved and the army deployment would start on Thursday.
Israel has said it would continue its blockade of Lebanese ports but was no longer threatening to shoot any car that moved on roads south of the Litani.
French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy called on Israel Wednesday to lift is air, naval and land blockade of Lebanon.
France and Turkey sent their top diplomats to Beirut on Wednesday to discuss the deployment of a 15,000-strong international force to southern Lebanon, part of which the U.N. hopes can be in place in the next two weeks. They are up against a tight deadline, reports CBS News correspondent Allen Pizzey. The void after the Israeli army leaves will be filled by the United Nations force already in Lebanon but it is nothing like the robust force needed.
France was expected to lead the international force. The Italian foreign minister has already visited Beirut and pledged as many as 3,000 troops. Indonesia and a dozen other countries have expressed a willingness to help.
However, it remained unclear how quickly a full force could be deployed. The process involves three armies on the ground and is complicated, given that the Lebanese and Israeli armies do not have direct contact and a third and central player — Hezbollah guerrillas — will not be involved.
In the meantime, the 2,000-strong U.N. peacekeeping force known as UNIFIL that has been in southern Lebanon for more than two decades was to temporarily take up positions along the border.
The zone along the frontier would then be handed to Lebanese troops and the greatly reinforced UNIFIL force once all Israeli soldiers have withdrawn, U.N. officials said on condition of anonymity because of the delicate nature of the operations.
"It will be a gradual withdrawal. ... It will take couple of days, even up to one week," a UNIFIL officer told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters. "We agreed with the Lebanese army that it will start deploying as the Israelis start withdrawing. It could be as early as Thursday, maybe a slight delay."
The U.N. hopes 3,500 international troops can reinforce a 2,000-strong U.N. contingent already on the ground within 10 to 15 days to help consolidate the cease-fire and create conditions for Israeli forces to head home, Assistant U.N. Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Hedi Annabi said.
Displaced Lebanese, meanwhile, jammed the main coastal road to the south Wednesday as they headed home to scenes of near total destruction. Many cars had mattresses strapped on their roofs, and some passengers waved Hezbollah flags and pictures of the group's leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah. Some young men handed out bumper stickers with Hezbollah propaganda.
In a sign of lingering danger in south Lebanon, security officials said an explosive detonated Wednesday in the town of Nabatiyeh, killing a 20-year-old man. Meanwhile, rescue workers pulled dozens of bodies from the rubble of destroyed buildings in Lebanese border towns.
At least 810 people were killed in Lebanon during the 34-day campaign, most of them civilians. Israel suffered 157 dead — including 118 soldiers.