IDF Chief Halutz resigns

[Scurrilous]

IDF Spokesperson's Office says chief of staff announced his resignation; in press conference presenting post-war investigation findings, Halutz said, ‘I haven't heard calls from my superiors for me to leave. When they tell me to, I'll respond’

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3353269,00.html

<snip>

"An earthquake in the military and political echelons: IDF Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz resigned Tuesday night. He reported his resignation to Defense Minister Amir Peretz and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

He intended to report his resignation to the IDF general staff Wednesday morning, but, from fear of leaks, decided to issue a public statement Wednesday, slightly after midnight.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert expressed deep sorrow over the decision. Olmert, who knew beforehand that Halutz was going to resign, asked him to reconsider, but according to the PM's Office, Halutz's decision was decisive and as such, Olmert has no choice but to accept it.

Officials in the Defense Ministry said to Ynet that Chief of Staff Dan Halutz notified Defense Minister Amir Peretz of his intention to resign.

"Peretz didn't try to convince the chief of staff to remain in his position, and honored his decision. Halutz needed to do this a long time ago," they said."

[leveymg]

1. Several Israeli generals have left because of the Lebanon disaster

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L16698494.htm

The Lebanon operation is rightly viewed as a disaster, as it exposed the IDF'S weaknesses and failed in its main objective of breaking Hezballah. Several generals were forced out.

The linkage to the mythical Iran attack is entirely after-the-fact and convenient.

Here's Reuters:

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L16698494.htm
Israel military chief quits amid Lebanon war probe
16 Jan 2007 22:52:11 GMT
Source: Reuters
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By Dan Williams

JERUSALEM, Jan 17 (Reuters) - The chief of Israel's armed forces has tendered his resignation after internal probes pointing to his responsibility for the setbacks of last year's Lebanon war, a military spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

She said Lieutenant-General Dan Halutz, 58, told Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defence Minister Amir Peretz that he was quitting "as the investigations have run their course".

"With the echoes of battle having faded, I have decided to act on my responsibility," the spokeswoman quoted Halutz as saying in his resignation letter.The July-August assault on Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas drove them from Israel's northern border but failed to retrieve two captive soldiers, prompting many Israelis to call for a purge of the top brass in hope of restoring a military edge.

A retired Israeli general, Dan Shomron, recently handed in the findings of a probe he conducted into the war's execution. A government-appointed committee of inquiry is separately looking into the conduct of Olmert and Peretz. Shomron's report, released in part last month, criticised Israeli military commanders for poor organisation during the war but stopped short of calling for Halutz's resignation. At the time, Halutz said he was staying on, though two generals who had served on the northern front stepped down.