“Israeli” Army slams functioning of reservist division in war

Source: Haaretz, 12-10-2006
The conclusions of the "Israeli" Army`s main internal investigations into the Second Lebanon War will be presented early next week to a gathering of senior officers of the General Staff.
Chief of Staff Dan Halutz has also participated in two other investigations at the divisional level recently, and one of these severely criticized the division`s functioning.
Army sources believe that Halutz will avoid publicly removing officers from their commands, but will ensure that they do not advance in the ranks - thereby essentially forcing them out of the army. Deliberations on new command appointments are scheduled to take place later this month.
Below are some of the findings of the investigations to date:
- In the armored reservist division commanded by Brigadier General Erez Zukerman, which fought on the eastern front, mainly during the last week of the war, criticism of the division`s functioning by reservist officers was described as "deadly." Among the issues raised were confusing orders, frequent changes in missions and serious shortcomings in the operation of the divisional headquarters. The poor performance of the division`s tank brigade was also discussed.
- In the probe of the reservist infantry division commanded by Brigadier General Eyal Eisenberg, a great deal of attention was given to an incident in which nine soldiers were killed by antitank rockets fired against a home in the village of Debel. Another issue discussed was the delay in deciding how to evacuate the injured - on foot or by helicopter.
Airlift problems
Problems in the cooperation with the air force were also raised, particularly with regard to airlifting troops during the last two days of the fighting and the decision to withdraw a battalion of reservists already on its way by helicopter after a helicopter was downed by Hizbullah.
- The abduction that led to the war: Most of the criticism of the conduct of Division 91 focused on this incident. The investigating panel, headed by Major General (reserves) Doron Almog, will only present its final findings later this month. However, it discovered problems with the infantry`s preparations, as well as with the deployment of the tank that was sent in pursuit of the abductors. It appears that commanders had earlier warned that tanks should not be sent into Lebanon without a bulldozer leading the way. The tank was destroyed by a Hizbullah mine and its four crew members were killed.
- The navy: The investigation of the missile strike against the destroyer INS Hanit, in which four soldiers died, has been completed. The main controversy is over the warnings that Military Intelligence gave the navy about Iranian surface-to-sea missiles in Hizbullah`s arsenal. The failure to operate the INS Hanit`s defensive mechanisms while it was operating 17 kilometers off Beirut was severely criticized.