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Adviser to former prime minister Ariel Sharon, Dov Weissglas (Alon Ron)
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Last update - 21:52 15/11/2007
Weisglass to Winograd: Sharon wouldn't have sent ground troops to Lebanon
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Ariel Sharon, Lebanon War

Former prime minister Ariel Sharon's most senior adviser on Tuesday told the panel investigating the conduct of last year's war in Lebanon that Sharon would not have considered a ground operation over the border.

In his testimony to the Winograd Committee, Dov Weissglas added that had Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel's northern towns and cities during Sharon's tenure, he would have taught the group "a lesson they wouldn't have forgotten for 50 years."

The former adviser said that Israel had known prior to the war that Hezbollah was strengthening and increasing its military capabilities.
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"We certainly knew that there was trouble, that they had the potential for trouble, that they were building their capabilities," he said.

Still, he added, there were levels of control imposed on the guerilla group by the Lebanese government who recognized that the source of its militancy was tied to the Palestinian issue.

"As the Lebanese understood that essentially the Palestinian matter was a catalyst for the Hezbollah to arouse Israel because of considerations that have nothing to do with Lebanon... their [Hezbollah's] political strip became shorter, even as they increased their iron," he said.

When asked how, in Weissglas' opinion, Sharon would have reacted on the day Israel Defense Forces soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev were abducted, the former adviser said, "I assume he would have ordered a very harsh air force operation... [but] would not have reached a ground operation."

"I'm sorry to say this, but it was a border incident, a border incident that was not some sort of deus ex machina that had to develop into war," he said.

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      1.   A LESSON FROM SHARON? LIKE WHAT? 14:16  |  indrajaya 15/11/07
      2.   O no Sharon would never have invaded Lebanon 14:19  |  Gemayel 15/11/07
      3.   talk is cheap.. 14:23  |  northern neighbor 15/11/07
      4.   Weissglass 14:26  |  Marc 15/11/07
      5.   the posters above must buy thier history books from the Saudis 14:26  |  Dude 15/11/07
      6.   What Sharon Would Have Done 14:28  |  Confidante 15/11/07
      7.   gemayel i thought you were dead. 14:29  |  aoun 15/11/07
      8.   Gemayel 14:39  |  Tamir Palestine 15/11/07
      9.   Northern Neighbour 14:41  |  rich 15/11/07
      10.   I call for new war in lebanon, all any kind of wars. 14:43  |  Tamir Palestine 15/11/07
      11.   Weisglas dreamer talker 15:23  |  eddie 15/11/07
      12.   and that is the problem for Israel 15:24  |  Sam (UK) 15/11/07
      13.   lesson? 15:27  |  lesson 15/11/07
      14.   there is still time 15:28  |  Nabulsi 15/11/07
      15.   a MESSAGE FROM A LEBANESE 15:37  |  r 15/11/07
      16.   Israel caught sleeping 15:41  |  Chaim Gorenstein 15/11/07
      17.   He did not say he would not have had a war. 15:46  |  Realist 15/11/07
      18.   #15. A message from Lebanese 16:40  |  John 15/11/07
      19.   Lessons Hopefully Learned 16:41  |  Ron 15/11/07
      20.   #5 Dude 16:47  |  Wendy 15/11/07
      21.   John in Boston 16:54  |  Nadine 15/11/07
      22.   Ground operation not the problem, cease fire is the problem 16:55  |  bernard ross 15/11/07
      23.   Let sharon rotten 17:03  |  Mike 15/11/07
      24.   To #! 17:15  |  Oleg 15/11/07
      25.   #16 17:17  |  B 15/11/07
      26.   Sabra and Shatila 17:24  |  B 15/11/07
      27.   Message from Lebanes##15 17:27  |  Ramachandran Nair 15/11/07
      28.   Only Peace is the way 17:30  |  Eli Israeli 15/11/07
      29.   even more educational than shatila? 17:51  |  sabre 15/11/07
      30.   #15-lebanese 17:52  |  Zainab 15/11/07
      31.   I Supported Blowing The Hezbollah... 18:01  |  Yosemite 15/11/07
      32.   War Sucks 18:29  |  F. Natour 15/11/07
      33.   #15 and #30 19:18  |  George 15/11/07
      34.   Disagree 19:36  |  Erik 15/11/07
      35.   This idiot first said "Qassams,Shmassams" and relied on "Bush let 19:42  |  Absolute Sweden 15/11/07
      36.   Ground troops not necessary 19:53  |  leo 15/11/07
      37.   Sharon 20:05  |  democrat 15/11/07
      38.   TO Dude #5 20:12  |  Steve Beikirch 15/11/07
      39.   Warmongers -No 38 20:21  |  Palestinian Brit 15/11/07
      40.   Hezbollah 20:27  |  BRL 15/11/07
      41.   Weinglas - He Was Probably Part of the Problem 20:34  |  Tod Zuckerman 15/11/07
      42.   Steve Beikirch re Arik Sharon 20:35  |  ChanahS 15/11/07
      43.   Sharon 20:45  |  steve dill 15/11/07
      44.   #33 George 20:52  |  walayhimmak 15/11/07
      45.   To all idiots Leb christians...my Mom christ, my relatives christ 20:53  |  Tamir Palestine 15/11/07
      46.   Sharon was a complete flop - father of Itnatkut fiasco 20:55  |  WorshippingFatty 15/11/07
      47.   # 33, George in Beirut 20:56  |  Does not matter 15/11/07
      48.   Christian Lebanese 20:56  |  Dakkar 15/11/07
      49.   CRIMINAL WRISGLASS MASTERMINDED GUSHKATIF DEPORTATION,START OF AL 20:59  |  VOICE)))))))) 15/11/07
      50.   To R #15 20:59  |  I.A. 15/11/07
      51.   To Tamir 21:00  |  I.A. 15/11/07
      52.   "a lesson they wouldn`t have forgotten for 50 years." 21:04  |  Colin Wright 15/11/07
      53.   B 21:07  |  Chaim Gorenstein 15/11/07
      54.   to George #33 21:07  |  I.A. 15/11/07
      55.   Teaching the Lebanese a lesson 21:18  |  Colin Wright 15/11/07
      56.   #21 Nadine in Beirut 21:34  |  John 15/11/07
      57.   Sharon`s lesson - more likely he would have given back the Golan 21:43  |  Jon 15/11/07
      58.   George 21:43  |  Eli 15/11/07
      59.   Sharon the General 21:45  |  Brod 15/11/07
      60.   tea for two 21:58  |  ron 15/11/07
      61.   #38 22:11  |  Brian 15/11/07
      62.   to 50 I.a 23:10  |  Eli Israeli 15/11/07
      63.   First define "Victory" then accept Hezbollah as the cowards .... 23:15  |  J 15/11/07
      64.   to Colin Wrong...oops i mean Wright 23:22  |  J 15/11/07
      65.   To I.A. #50 What an idiotic post! 23:28  |  Dakkar 15/11/07
      66.   Eli, Lebanon - Do you support or not support Hiz? 23:31  |  John 15/11/07
      67.   #64 J in Jax 00:52  |  Labhras 16/11/07
      68.   #33, GEORGE, so it`s ok for your country to be decimated? 00:52  |  VIPER 16/11/07
      69.   Colin Wright Not Right 01:32  |  Nora 16/11/07
      70.   #42 Say Chanah 01:53  |  ballistic 16/11/07
      71.   Say John at #66, er, pardon the intrusion 02:01  |  ballistic 16/11/07
      72.   sharon criminality 02:43  |  Felipe 16/11/07
      73.   Haaretz reporting 02:51  |  Philippe 16/11/07
      74.   Dakkar and idiocy 03:36  |  I.A. 16/11/07
      75.   Eli Israeli 03:43  |  I.A. 16/11/07
      76.   The sting is always in the tail 04:27  |  Johnboy 16/11/07
      77.   #17 Realist, did you actually read to the END of the article 04:34  |  Johnboy 16/11/07
      78.   What, No Ground Forces? 04:45  |  Sane 16/11/07
      79.   to Colin Wright#55 05:39  |  Ilya 16/11/07
      80.   To ChanahS #42 06:16  |  Steve Beikirch 16/11/07
      81.   thank you sane 06:19  |  sam 16/11/07
      82.   #77 I think he`s