'I will not shy away from responsibility.' Halutz
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Officers to Halutz: Mission in Lebanon was not completed
Chief of staff meets Paratroopers Brigade reserve officers, says he is willing to take responsibility for Lebanon war ‘as soon as it becomes clear that I have to take it’; adds: There will be a thorough investigation of each and every unit
IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz said Thursday during a meeting with reserve officers from the Paratroopers Brigade that he is willing to take responsibility for the manner in which the Lebanon
war developed.
“I will not shy away from responsibility – as soon as it becomes clear that I have to take it,” he told the officers at an army base in central Israel.
Halutz’s statements were aired on Channel 10.
One officer asked Halutz for his response to claims that some IDF commanders acted inappropriately during the fighting, saying that one commander refused to assist in the evacuation of a soldier because he was not under his command.
“There will be a thorough investigation of each and every unit, and eventually we will get to the bottom of it,” Halutz said.
The chief of staff added that “there is no military way to disarm Hizbullah, and this is why we did not use this terminology.”
When asked whether senior IDF officers will take responsibility “because there is a feeling that the mission was not completed,” Halutz said: “Yes, if needed then high-ranking officers will take responsibility.”
