Officer: Ground operation only considered in third week of war

A senior officer in the Israel Defense Forces General Staff said Tuesday that during last summer's war, the option of a large-scale ground operation in southern Lebanon was not seriously discussed by the General Staff or by the political establishment until July 27, more than two weeks after the war broke out.

The officer made the comments in response to a report published in Haaretz Tuesday regarding the consultations held among the army's top brass during the war.

The senior officer told Haaretz that "the only senior member of the political-security establishment to demand on July 12 to initiate a major ground operation was Mossad Chief Meir Dagan. I was present at all the major discussions - and Dagan was the only one who made a clear demand on the issue."

According to the officer, Deputy Chief of Staff Moshe Kaplinsky and Operations Directorate Head Gadi Eisenkot (who is currently GOC Northern Command) raised the need for the army to prepare for a large-scale ground operation during the discussions held on the day the war broke out, July 12. However, a short time later it became clear that the political leadership and the chief of staff did not consider a ground operation as being a realistic option at that time, and it was removed from the agenda. Only during the war's third week did the army begin to seriously prepare for a large-scale ground operation, which included placing three divisions into action in southern Lebanon.

"Other than Meir Dagan, anyone who claims he presented, beginning on July 13, a demand for a wide-scale ground operation, is simply distorting the facts," said the officer. "Maybe it was gossip whispered in someone's ear in one of the war rooms, or maybe a proposal that was raised in a conversation in the hallway, but it was not a serious option. People are simply trying to improve their public standing now, by making segments of information public."

He confirmed the accuracy of the quotes made during the deliberations, but claims the manner in which they were presented creates a false impression of developments. According to the officer, the segments that were quoted create the impression that a serious ground option existed, supported by several of the generals, at an early stage of the war - much earlier than it really was.

The publication of the quotes Tuesday drew many reactions among field commanders, most of whom were aware of the internal classified deliberations among the IDF top brass during the war. A number of officers told Haaretz that the inquiry committee headed by retired justice Eliyahu Winograd will help clarify the war's events.

"We are gradually discovering that there were a lot of things that happened differently than we thought," the commanders said.

Meanwhile, Peretz has begun holding consultations on the appointment of a new Defense Ministry director general to replace Gabi Ashkenazi, who is expected to take over as chief of staff in about two weeks, at the end of a vetting process.

Among the candidates are reserve major generals Ilan Biran, Amos Malka, and Yedidya Yaari. It is doubtful that Biran, who already served as the Ministry's director general in the second half of the 1990s, will be interested in the position.

	Mossad chief Meir Dagan. (BauBau Archives)