Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Dan Halutz said Wednesday that despite predictions, the army would not complete its withdrawal from Lebanon by the start of the New Year holiday, which begins at sundown Friday.

"We very much hoped it would happen by Friday, but in the dialogue we have been holding with the United Nations and the Lebanese army there are a few issues to be wrapped up," Lieutenant-General Halutz told Israel Radio.

"I hope it will take place in the next few days, but it looks likely to be after the holiday," he said.

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The comments contradicted remarks Halutz made Tuesday, that barring any hitches, the troop withdrawal would be complete by Friday.

Defense Minister Amir Peretz made similar comments earlier Wednesday, as Germany and Malaysia took steps to beef up an international peacekeeping force.

"This is our intent, we definitely want to complete it," Peretz said when asked by reporters about Tuesday comments by Halutz that the IDF would quit Lebanon by the New Year.

"We hope there won't be any mishaps in coordinating with the Lebanese army and the international forces, and that everything will go according to the planned timetable," Peretz said in remarks during a tour of southern Israel.

Halutz also said Wednesday that he is certain of his ability to continue leading the military, adding that he has no intention of retaining an attorney for the upcoming inquiry by the Winograd Commission.

"To get up and resign would be running away from responsibility. I have decided to bear the burden and go on, because I believe in our ability to do what is necessary."

In response to criticism by his predecessor Moshe Ya'alon, Halutz said "Never in my life have I made use of the blood of the fallen to put an issue on the agenda, personal or otherwise. I will never do that. Perhaps that is the difference."

Speaking in response to Ya'alon's statements in Haaretz Magazine that the decision to expand the ground war on August 11 was the result of "corrupt spin," Halutz argued that the offensive had impacted positively on the draft of Resolution 1701.

Halutz's remarks to military reporters in his Tel Aviv Bureau and later to Channel 1 were his first public comments about the war since it ended more than a month ago.

When asked whether he had thought about resigning, he answered "I would be lying if I said that things like that didn't pass through one's mind."

The IDF chief said the criticism he was getting was bothering him. "If it didn't, I wouldn't be human," he said, adding, "I don't know how this thing got stuck to me. I don't believe it's me.

"I will do my own soul-searching as every Jew does. I will not do it in public," Halutz also told the reporters.

Halutz conceded for the first time in relative detail that a number of mistakes had been made in the war. According to him, he would have drafted the reserve divisions earlier and trained them although he would not necessarily have fielded them any more quickly than he did.

Halutz denied telling the cabinet in the early days of the war that the air force could win the campaign alone. "On the contrary, as early as the first day we said that if this goes on for long, a ground campaign will be necessary."

Halutz said he thought that in the battle of Bint Jbail, in which eight soldiers were killed, enough forces had been fielded. He said the IDF had sent in two infantry brigades and units of an armored brigade and that entering the town had been a necessity. However, he hinted that operational mishaps had taken place. He also said IDF intelligence had updated information on Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon, but it was "in sealed cases" and in some instances did not reach the front lines.

Halutz also said there may have been a chance for a cease-fire when Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited the region on July 30, but it was lost after the death of the Lebanese civilians in the bombardment of Kafr Kana.

MKs lambaste Halutz in Knesset committee meeting
MKs slammed Halutz during a meeting of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, calling for the military chief's resignations.

"It is not appropriate for him to continue to appear in public and wear the IDF uniform," National Union MK Zvi Hendel said regarding Halutz.

"It can't be that an entire year was wasted over the whims of a certain family that appointed him to this position. He must take off his uniform, and I expect him to take responsibility for this matter," Hendel added.

Halutz said in response "I will wear my uniform until it is stripped off of me and if that is hard on you, we can find ways of hiding from one another."

Labor MK Danny Yatom asked Halutz whether the latter has learned a lesson from the recent resignation of Northern Command senior officer Ehud Adam, and the actions of the army's top brass.

Halutz answered, saying, "I myself feel that if I were incapable [of functioning] I would go. The point is, that there are two sides to every coin. On the one hand, you need to take responsibility and abandon ship, but on the other hand, you have to take responsibility and set sail."

The military chief said the IDF would conduct a thorough probe of the events in Lebanon, which will put his conduct to a test. He said the team conducting the military investigation would work closely with other committees probing the Lebanon war.

Likud MK Dan Naveh asked the IDF chief whether he feelt it had been the right choice to launch a raid only 48 hours before a UN-brokered ceasefire was called to end the war.

Halutz said he did not regret the move and denied claims that he had made the move as a "spin" tactic to draw the media's attention.

"Whoever thinks it was a media spin should present proof, it was done to strengthen the UN's decision," Halutz said.

Maj.-Gen. Alain Pelligrini, commander of the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, said on Wednesday that 5,000 UN soldiers were in place and that Israel's withdrawal is "on track."