Lebanon
August 16, 2006
20 minutes read

War of Generals in Israel- Who leads leaders? Who Governs Politicians?

Israeli newspapers considered designating Israeli deputy chief of staff, Brigadier General Kaplinsky to represent the Chief of Staff in the northern command as the first shot in the expected battle inside Israeli army’s High Command.
The newspapers added that the status quo inside the army’s High Command is fed-up and needs creative ideas so that all avoid smashing their dish of eggs, expressed on Thursday in the words of a top officer when he said ” thanks god, every thing is documented and registered; there are documents that point to those who went astray and those who were right; personally speaking, I am not worried.”
Maariv Newspaper said that the Israeli people were wrong when they thought that the army is unified, at least in the lines of the High Command; this belief has been revealed to be untrue since the Chief of Staff appointed his deputy beside the commander of the northern region; forming an investigation committee on how we reached such a deadlocked political horizon after thirty one days in the fight is looming.

The newspaper added that the Israeli army is- as usual- divided into three parts: First: those who committed mistakes and wait for paying the price; Second: those who believe that they did not commit any mistake and they were side-accomplices without bearing any responsibility; the third party: takes shape nowadays among those believing that what happened to the commander of the northern region can happen to any one from among them at any time.

Of course, the newspaper continued, the Chief of Staff’s decision of appointing his deputy as head of the commander of the northern region wasn’t out of tactical considerations that aimed at tackling some mistakes committed during the war, but it is an anticipative strategic decision that aimed at defining the real cause of the army’s failure in achieving its series of objectives, or even at least the few ones that it realized. This is how Israeli public that lost security from Ashkelon and until northern Kibbutz Manara, see the move of the Chief of Staff .
A top officer described the atmosphere of the first meeting held and was headed by the commander of the northern region and was attended by the Chief of Staff’s appointed representative, saying ” the deputy chief of staff gave many instructions which didn’t contain even one single lesson to be achieved .

The hostility between the Chief of Staff and the commander of the northern region can’t be neglected and which was obvious during the visit of the Minister of Defense to the front and it appeared when the Chief of Staff replied to a question related to his evaluation to the commander of the northern region, Audi Adam, as he said ” he is a wonderful General who carries out his job with honesty”. With this sentence, the Chief of Staff outlined the job of the General who leads the most ferocious battle the army got involved in during the past two decades.

The newspaper said that the entourage of Audi Adam try to make all of them keep calm, confirming that he won’t break the game rules and say what he believes, because he is a “gentleman” who will give his testimony with reservation and self-restraint and in the right place after the war comes to and end but he will give a clear cut testimony.

The Chief of Staff directed his attacks higher when he addressed the political leadership while discussing expanding the ground operation, saying” we should prove that Israel protects its houses and defends itself relentlessly and that it does not advance at a time to retreat at another.”

The newspaper said that the operations of advance and retreat that Marjeyoun front witnessed show very clearly the real status quo of the Israeli which is currently under the control of the political leadership which tries to exploit the US political opportunities in a 10- kilometer buffer zone so as to be able to hit the biggest possible number of Hezbollah targets; however, after thirty one days of fight, there is still much work which proves the greatness and strength of Hezbollah while we are sitting motionless in front of its development in the past years while our silent language says ” we have warned against this but we sat motionless and powerless.”

The newspaper added that the army wants to push ahead aiming to establish a defense line and trap the three thousand Hezbollah fighters in southern Litani River without supplies or reinforcements or a possibility of fleeing to the north, leading consequently to face to face attack to curb the ability of shooting short-range missiles by 70 % but things didn’t take place to their desires; Olmert and Peretz focused their interest to blueprinting a cease-fire resolution delaying expanding the ground operation, a decision that greatly questions the achievements of all the military operation.

The newspaper concluded saying:” the army realizes that stopping fight in this stage will keep launching spots for Hezbollah to begin its next battle against Israel with a more developed weapon because Iran will not stop short of reinforcing its “terrorist” arm in the Middle East without which it can’t outrage the Western countries that handles its nuclear bomb”.

Agent Lahd from (his pub): Israel started to depend in its current war on my experience, but I remain neutral!!

London- Homeland- It was revealed that Israel summoned to military service the previous militiamen called ” southern army of Lebanon ” led by General Antoine Lahd to help it in its current war on Lebanon after its army was defeated in front of ” Hezbollah” fighters, while a British press correspondent who eye-witnessed Al-Marj battle near Marjayoun in the eastern strip if southern Lebanon revealed how and how Hezbollah” fighters destroyed a group of tanks that stormed Lebanese territories, the day before yesterday .

“Daily Telegraph” newspaper quoted Lahd, who fled to Israel in 2000 with his militiamen just before Israel’s sudden withdrawal from southern Lebanon, saying that Israel started to depend in its current war on his and his militiamen’s experience, but he said that he is personally still neutral, despite holding several secret meetings between him and Israeli officials, refusing to disclose their nature.

Lahd who is currently living in Tel Aviv where he owns “Biblos” pub to earn his living, said he was in a trip in France when the war erupted, then he cut his holiday and returned immediately to Israel, saying he has- since his arrival- carried out several trips to the front in northern Israel; the “Daily Telegraph” described Lahd as ” the best one who knows the battlefield”, adding that the ex-Major General in the Lebanese army (78 years) is accused in his homeland of high treason and of committing a series of war crimes; ” no one except his pub customers call him General” the newspaper added.

“I was tried in Lebanon and was sentenced to life three times on charge of cooperating with Israel, this is enough” Lahd told the newspaper; Israel was depending on Lahd and his militiamen – up to 3000 members-for holding its grip on southern Lebanon and hitting anti-Israel Palestinian and Lebanese gunmen.

For his part, Stephen Farrell, The Times newspaper correspondent who is still accompanying Israeli army in the front, said that he eye-witnessed how “Hezbollah” destroyed four tanks in Mrgion battle, while he and his foreign fellow journalists were watching the battle from above a hill overlooking the battlefield, not so far from the borders line, declaring that he watched missiles destroying tanks, while soldiers jumped from them to other tanks seeking survival.

He added that a small group of fighters equipped with antitank missiles ” Sager ” and “Tau”, stopped an armored army and heavily armed soldiers and prevented them from advancing towards towns of Al-Kayam, Marjayoun, Tayiba, and Kafr Kala, added that the only Israeli response to Hezbollah resistance was- in addition to missile and artillery bombardment- increasing the size of the regular forces sent to the front.

“The Times Online” correspondent quoted soldiers who participated in the battle saying the fighters set two kinds of ambushes: one kind for tanks and another one for the infantry whom the army sent to enter desolate villages; a soldier said that in Eita Al-Shaab, the soldiers faced unexpected barrages of missiles; it was obvious that Hezbollah was still keeping a big number of fighters who shoot fires from all directions.

The correspondent quoted officer Hanoukh Dawabi who was injured and is hospitalized in a Haifa hospital, saying that he was injured near Bent Jbeil on Tuesday by a missile from a missiles launcher hitting him while he was inside the tank that was in them and injured the tank driver while crew was trying to rescue soldiers who were seriously injured in the site; also another injured soldier described how he was injured inside the town, where he was showered by bullets, saying about the fighters that ” these men fight like guerrillas, they use houses as barricades and shoot fires from the windows; they do not wear a uniform but they are well organized and fight in groups of small number with resolution and persistence”.

Farrell quoted another officer who was hit in his leg in Bent Jbeil in the same day saying that ” Hezbollah fighters were waiting for us inside the town, it was deserted, but as soon as we etered they started to attack us.”

To prove the deep feeling of defeat in Israeli society, Farrell cited the verbal exchange, the day before yesterday, between current Defense Minister, Amir Peretz, and the previous one, Shaul Mofaz, who saves no opportunity for revealing his criticism to the way the war is run, while Peretz responded to these criticisms by saying to Mofaz ” where have you been when Hezbollah built its lines?” while ” Yediot Aharonot ” newspaper called on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, saying ” take what the Americans give you and escape.”

Israel Army Photo