Last update - 00:00 15/10/2006
Probe of IDF division blames General Staff for mismanaging war
By Amos Harel, Haaretz Correspondent
An investigation team probing the conduct of Israel Defense Forces divisions that fought in Lebanon accused the IDF General Staff on Sunday of mismanaging the war.
The team presented its interim findings on the conduct of Division 91 - the Galilee Formation - to the General Staff forum Sunday.
The team said in its report that throughout the war, the General Staff neglected to conduct the fighting as a military operation with clear goals and objectives.
The findings of the report did not give conclusions regarding the conduct of individual commanders within the division, under the command of Brigadier General Gal Hirsch, but did blast the division for misconduct.
The team defined the military's difficulty in making the conceptual transition from a situation of routine security measures to one of open war as an acute problem.
The report found that the wartime missions were not clearly defined, and were often subject to change after they were issued, a factor that compromised mission preparation. The probe also found that the lower echelons of command perceived the confusion among the supreme command, a factor that compromised their trust in their superiors.
The investigation team described the wartime deployment of the division?s commanders as "severely deficient." The fact the all of the brigade commanders, save the commander of the paratrooper brigade, chose to remain in the command centers jeopardized missions.
The investigation report was highly critical of logistics support provided to the combat units, as well as of the policy of allowing large numbers of troops to return to Israel for rest and recreation.
The investigation team, headed by Major General (res.) Yoram Yair, has yet to complete its inquiry into the battles in the villages of Maroun Ras and Bint Jbail.
Investigators are still to present their findings of battles fought by Division 162, headed by Brigadier General Guy Tzur; an elite reserve division headed by Brigadier General Eyal Eisenberg; and an armored reserve division headed by Brigadier General Erez Zuckerman.