“Israeli” army works its soldiers following disappointing performance in Lebanon

Source: Arutz Sheva, 28-12-2006
The "Israeli" Army has embarked on a program to make soldiers` training longer and tougher, following the military`s disappointing performance in the Lebanon War this summer. Reserve soldiers` annual training periods will be twice as long in 2007 as they were in 2006, said Col. Guy Bar-Lev, Head of the Infantry Corps` Operations Department. Combat soldiers in the standing army will spend at least 3 or 4 months training and then participate in a combined forces exercise, alongside the Air Force and Navy.
Bar-Lev told "Israeli" Army Radio that the army was raising its standards for combat soldiers` physical fitness as well. "We are better prepared than we were before the war and we will be even better prepared next year," he said.
The "Israeli" Army, always considered to be the best army in the Middle East, appeared to many "Israelis" to have lost its touch in the war against Hizbullah. Several official committees have been appointed to investigate the war`s conduct.