http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/18/ap/world/mainD8JIVSAG0.shtml


Many Israeli Soldiers Are Critical
Many Israeli soldiers criticize country's handling of Lebanon war


Israeli newspapers quoted disgruntled reservists as saying they had no
provisions in Lebanon, were sent into battle with outdated or faulty
equipment and insufficient supplies, and received little or no
training.


"We'll be back in Lebanon in a few months, maybe years," Ovadia said.

Yup. It's true. Returning Israel soliders are highly critical of the
Lebanese invasion, especially reservists that are the backbone of
Israel's army. The news is in all media, so rightards can't deny it,
although it'll be amusing to watch how they try to spin it once they
get their talk points from Limpballs and Hannity. The fact is that the
highly touted Israeli army was surprised by the skill and tenacity of
Hezbollah and driven back into Israel. Airplane bombing of apartment
buildings full of innocent civilians just didn't work, nor did knocking
out a quarter of the country's bridges (150 out of 600) and making
refugees out of a quarter of the Lebanese population (1+ million
people). It's crystal clear that Israel clusterfucked the Lebanese
invasion, and that Hezbollah won!

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/08/18/ap/world/mainD8JIVSAG0.shtml


Many Israeli Soldiers Are Critical
Many Israeli soldiers criticize country's handling of Lebanon war

METULLA, Israel, Aug. 18, 2006
By BENJAMIN HARVEY Associated Press Writer
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(AP) Israeli soldiers returning from the war in Lebanon say the army
was slow to rescue wounded comrades and suffered from a lack of
supplies so dire that they had to drink water from the canteens of dead
Hezbollah guerrillas.

"We fought for nothing. We cleared houses that will be reoccupied in no
time," said Ilia Marshak, a 22-year-old infantryman who spent a week in
Lebanon.

Marshak said his unit was hindered by a lack of information, poor
training and untested equipment. In one instance, Israeli troops
occupying two houses inadvertently fired at each other because of poor
communication between their commanders.

"We almost killed each other," he said. "We shot like blind people. ...
We shot sheep and goats."

In a nation mythologized for decisive military victories over Arab
foes, the stalemate after a 34-day war in Lebanon has surprised many.

The war was widely seen in Israel as a just response to a July 12
cross-border attack in which Hezbollah gunmen killed three Israeli
soldiers and captured two. But the wartime solidarity crumbled after
Israel agreed to pull its army from south Lebanon without crushing
Hezbollah or rescuing the captured soldiers.

A total of 118 Israeli soldiers were killed in the fighting, and the
army was often caught off guard by a well-trained guerrilla force
backed by Iran and Syria that used sophisticated weapons and tactics.
Soldiers, for instance, complained that Hezbollah fighters sometimes
disguised themselves in Israeli uniforms.

Military experts and commentators have criticized the army for relying
too heavily on air power and delaying the start of ground action for
too long. They say the army underestimated Hezbollah, and that Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert set an unrealistic goal by pledging to destroy the
guerrilla group.

This week, Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz appointed a former army
chief to investigate the military's handling of the war.

Some of the harshest criticism has come from reservists, who form the
backbone of the army. Israeli men do three years of mandatory service
beginning at age 18, but continue to do reserve duty several weeks a
year into their 40s.

Israeli newspapers quoted disgruntled reservists as saying they had no
provisions in Lebanon, were sent into battle with outdated or faulty
equipment and insufficient supplies, and received little or no
training.

"I personally haven't thrown a grenade in 15 years, and I thought I'd
get a chance to do so before going north," an unidentified reservist in
an elite infantry brigade was quoted as telling the Maariv daily.

Israel's largest paper, Yediot Ahronot, quoted one soldier as saying
thirsty troops threw chlorine tablets into filthy water in sheep and
cow troughs. Another said his unit took canteens from dead guerrillas.

"When you're thirsty and have to keep fighting, you don't think a lot,
and there is no time to feel disgusted," the unidentified soldier was
quoted as saying.

The newspaper said helicopters were hindered from delivering food
supplies or carrying out rescue operations because commanders feared
the aircraft would be shot down. In some cases, soldiers bled to death
because they were not rescued in time, Yediot Ahronot said.

The army had no immediate comment Friday.

Comrades of the two soldiers captured by Hezbollah sent a petition to
the prime minister Thursday accusing the government of abandoning the
men.

"We went to reserve duty with the certainty that all of Israel's
citizens, and the Israeli government, believe in the same value that
every combatant learns from his first day in basic training _ you don't
leave friends behind," the soldiers wrote. "This is a moral low point.
The Israeli government has abandoned two IDF (Israeli Defense Force)
combatants that it sent on a mission."

The petition was being circulated Friday; it was unclear how many
soldiers had signed it.

While such sentiments aren't shared by all soldiers, even some senior
commanders acknowledge the army came up short in Lebanon.

When soldier Gil Ovadia returned home, his commander made no mention of
victory in an address to their battalion. Instead, the commander told
them the war was over, said they did a good job, and advised that they
be prepared to come back soon and fight again.

"We'll be back in Lebanon in a few months, maybe years," Ovadia said.