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Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. (AP)
Last update - 16:48 15/08/2008
Nasrallah: 'Failed' IDF generals caused Georgia defeat in war
By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel, Ehud Barak 

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday asserted that "failed" Israeli generals had caused Georgia's defeat in its current war with Russia.

"Israel exported failed generals in order to train the Georgian armed forces, including general Gal Hirsch, and we all know that the Georgian army was defeated by the Russian forces," Nasrallah said in a speech to mark two years since the end of the Second Lebanon War.

Brig. Gen. (Res.) Gal Hirsch was the commander of the Israel Defense Forces' Galilee Brigade when reservists Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were abducted by Hezbollah on the northern border, sparking the Second Lebanon War. He operates a privately-owned Israeli military contractors that recently trained Georgian security forces .
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Nasrallah also declared in the speech that Israel's defense minister and army chief's "failures" in the past meant they did not scare his Lebanese militant organization today.

"[Defense Minister Ehud] Barak, who accuses the political and security echelon of lacking experience during the period of the Second Lebanon War, what can he say to his failures during his term as prime minister, particularly the hasty departure from Lebanon?" The Lebanese militant organization leader asked.

Nasrallah continued: "I also remind [IDF Chief of Staff Gabi] Ashkenazi of his failures during the period when he served as GOC Northern Command. They both failed then, and therefore they don't scare us today."

The Hezbollah leader, against whose organization Israel waged the 34-day war in 2006, also said that the expected replacement of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert signifies the end of Israel's wartime leadership's rule.

He even argued that he doesn't remember the name of the defense minister during the war - a mocking reference to Amir Peretz, who held the post during the conflict and famously said: "Nasrallah will remember the name Peretz."

Nasrallah added that the issue of the Second Lebanon will hold a central position in all public and media debate in Israel in years too come.

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      1.   Who won? Brave words from a roach hiding in a hole! 22:39  |  Arie 14/08/08
      2.   Nasrallah not scared 22:49  |  Brod 14/08/08
      3.   this guy has a severe inferiority complex 23:25  |  McQueen 14/08/08
      4.   Nasrallah Unscared 23:27  |  Fish 14/08/08
      5.   Interesting point 23:46  |  Observer 14/08/08
      6.   Blame Constipation on Israel 00:18  |  guy 15/08/08
      7.   Nasrallah the big mouth 00:21  |  Edifice 15/08/08
      8.   Border integrity 00:23  |  Edifice 15/08/08
      9.   patetic 00:25  |  adalberto 15/08/08
      10.   is he fearless about very HIGH CHOLESTEROL? 00:31  |  Avi 15/08/08
      11.   How Barak appears these days... 00:31  |  Esther 15/08/08
      12.   I knew some motherfu#¤#"rs would try to pin that war on us as wel 00:33  |  Tarzan 15/08/08
      13.   I GIVE HIM THE FACT THAT HE IS A GOOD PROPAGANDIST.. 00:33  |  R 15/08/08
      14.   So why is he still in hiding?? Why does he not speak in public?? 00:35  |  spade 15/08/08
      15.   Nasrallah. Ignorant, Stupid or exiciting his people? 00:38  |  John 15/08/08
      16.   If the milk turns sour in your refrigerator 00:45  |  Mike 15/08/08
      17.   No country could have stopped Russia 00:48  |  steve 15/08/08
      18.   blah blah blah 00:52  |  mj 15/08/08
      19.   What an idiot! 00:52  |  ScotGuy 15/08/08
      20.   Israel`s generals` well deserved reputation for incompetence 01:04  |  Chanalau, Tova 15/08/08
      21.   Nasrallah a man of many words and few thoughts 01:09  |  H 15/08/08
      22.   Nasrallah 01:15  |  Nemesis 15/08/08
      23.   No one ever said that Observer... 01:15  |  BBSNews 15/08/08
      24.   peretz 01:29  |  future1 15/08/08
      25.   of course, Nausea doesn`t remember... 01:29  |  Akiva P 15/08/08
      26.   Why Is This Useless Mad Dog Still Barking? 01:47  |  Bill Foonman 15/08/08
      27.   But, Israel had not failed 01:58  |  Meir 15/08/08
      28.   #2 Guy, what`s your beef? Haaretz and US 01:58  |  ballistic 15/08/08
      29.   #8 Well Tarzan 02:00  |  ballistic 15/08/08
      30.   CHANALAU.ISRAELi Generals sent the hero of Arabia into hiding 02:07  |  PETER SM 15/08/08
      31.   Beware of the Jewish Lion 02:08  |  JT 15/08/08
      32.   omebody needs to tell him there were NO Israeli generals 02:09  |  PETER SM 15/08/08
      33.   Tarzan, busy with Jane, behind on the news... 02:19  |  BBSNews 15/08/08
      34.   PERETZ, PERETZ PERETZ-Israel cannot forget name,his incompetence. 02:20  |  dav zee 15/08/08
      35.   No big-mouthed cellar rat has ever had the last word. 02:36  |  Fortuna Benmayor 15/08/08
      36.   #30 Say Peter, incidentally Haaretz reports 02:36  |  ballistic 15/08/08
      37.   Nasrallah`s Bunker Mentality 02:37  |  Proud Israeli 15/08/08
      38.   #24, BILL FOONMAN, he ain`t barking 02:37  |  VIPER 15/08/08
      39.   Tell the swine... 02:44  |  Barak OBombya 15/08/08
      40.   What a dumbass 02:46  |  Chaim Gorenstein 15/08/08
      41.   Bill Foonman 02:47  |  TonyL 15/08/08
      42.   12# why is he hiding? 02:54  |  sal 15/08/08
      43.   Clandestine recruitment 02:54  |  allang 15/08/08
      44.   cruising for a bruising 02:54  |  joe smith 15/08/08
      45.   SAYBALISTIC"Yakobashvili is actually not an Israeli citizen"AGAIN 03:14  |  PETER SM 15/08/08
      46.   # 14 So why is he still in hiding?? 03:37  |  Axel 15/08/08
      47.   Obnoxious Big Mouth Blather 03:37  |  Jane 15/08/08
      48.   Why? 03:47  |  ariel 15/08/08
      49.   Lets see who will be the last one to lough 04:06  |  Dan 15/08/08
      50.   to all those 04:25  |  Shlomog 15/08/08
      51.   Re bbs 04:27  |  Shlomog 15/08/08
      52.   #40 Nasrallah is as much an idiot as Ahmadinejad 04:33  |  CLL 15/08/08
      53.   I mean seriously........... 04:39  |  Susan 15/08/08
      54.   Why is Israel even thinking of talk to Syria? 04:43  |  Ken 15/08/08
      55.   JT he isnt an idiot like you 04:52  |  noor 15/08/08
      56.   to spade. He is not hiding, he is among his people 04:53  |  gus 15/08/08
      57.   Tarzan 04:58  |  Chet 15/08/08
      58.   Hassan Nasrallah is many things 05:09  |  Magnus Kragset 15/08/08
      59.   What defeat is he talking about? 05:28  |  Ilya 15/08/08
      60.   From The Safety Of His New Suite In Beirut`s Iranian Embassy 05:31  |  Lavi 15/08/08
      61.   Nasrallah is WRONG about Gerogia ... 05:49  |  spyguy 15/08/08
      62.   To a Degree Nasrallah is Right 05:56  |  Ron 15/08/08
      63.   He probably cann`t see the real picture 06:09  |  Miche Norman 15/08/08
      64.   Nasrallah`s brown robes 06:13  |  Miche Norman 15/08/08
      65.   He is right 06:30  |  mike honcho 15/08/08
      66.   liveing in a hole? 06:31  |  billy jack 15/08/08
      67.   none 06:36  |  wael 15/08/08
      68.   arab generals 06:57  |  stan 15/08/08
      69.   to#1 06:58  |  Leb Truth 15/08/08
      70.   ENEMY OF GOD 07:16  |  Bruce