Former IDF chief of staff, Moshe Ya’alon stated on Tuesday that the air force failed in the Second Lebanon War, stating there was a “tyrannous intellect which failed”, and when the air force commanders realized the failure, they tried to throw the blame elsewhere.
The former commander, today a fellow in the prestigious Jerusalem-based Shalem Center, referred to the air force as “the blue uniforms,” making his remarks at a security and defense conference in Latrun.
Ya’alon cited the military’s failure, explaining that if the correct objectives would have been realized, the war could have been ended from the air in five days. There was an “aerial agenda” by the decision makers in the air force he said.
“Even the IDF Central District Commander was not invited to the meeting. After the war, they threw the blame on their predecessors or their subordinates” he stated.
He went on to say that then chief of staff, Dan Halutz, equated the preparation for the war to the 1996 Grapes of Wrath operation. “Prior to Grapes of Wrath, we held dozens of meetings and briefings. Prior to the Second Lebanon War, there was one 2.5 hour meeting, which did not even cite military objectives. We decided to respond, without even calling it a ‘war’”.
Ya’alon stated he left an army that was prepared, an army that would have achieved the necessary objectives within four-to-five days by using the air force, or even ground forces if there was no other alternative.
The Office of the IDF Spokesperson stated it is uninterested in responding to the former commander’s comments.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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One Response
The failure was NOT because of of the military – neither the commanders, certainly not the soldiers.
The failure was in the politicians, who commanded the military to stop operations when they were one battle short of victory.
Of course, this was all directed from Above.