Halutz: I don't need a lawyer

He explained that meetings are currently being held to coordinate the pullout between IDF representatives and members of the Lebanese army in order to decide on arrangements on the ground, as part of Resolution 1701 passed by the UN Secretary Council.

"The meetings are being held in a good atmosphere, but there are still a number of issues we want to coordinate, in order to ensure that there won't be mistakes. This can take a few more days, and at the end of talks we can withdraw our forces from Lebanon," the chief of staff said.

Halutz said 5,500 UN soldiers have arrived in southern Lebanon, and that additional soldiers were on their way. At the same time, four brigades of the local army deployed in south Lebanon, while in Har Dov a force is stationed very close to the border with Israel.

'No lawyer for me'

Halutz addressed the public criticism he received following the war in Lebanon, saying he was surprised by the strength of the reaction. "I was surprised to a certain extent by the public criticism. There was a criticism, I heard it, and I am here after I held meetings with almost all of the forces on the level of commanders. Many points were raised, we are taking them all into considerations.

Addressing the question of whether IDF officers were planning on getting lawyers ahead of the meetings of the government commission of inquiry, Halutz said: "I don't think we need to have lawyers. In any case I am not planning on getting a lawyer," he said.

Hizbullah's wounds

Halutz addressed the fighting in Lebanon, saying that the IDF was aware of 650 Hizbullah fighters killed during the fighting, although this was not a final figure. He stressed that despite the major blow dealt to the organization, especially to strategic targets, Hizbullah's command and control center have not been harmed, and its short range rocket system is also intact.

The chief of staff added that the Iranians were trying to repair Hizbullah: "The way things look today, the Iranians and the Syrians have placed the recovery of Hizbullah as their aim, through military, civilian, and infrastructure. There is a race between the Iranians who are sending money, to the Lebanese government which wants to carry out the same steps. It's clear to us that it is preferable that Lebanon be the one to deal with this issue and carry the responsibility, since sovereignty equals responsibility and vice versa."

Halutz said many aspects of the fighting need to be checked. "We must read the picture and learn our lessons. But we must arrive at a situation in which we do not miss the forests due to the trees," he said.

The chief of staff pointed an accusatory finger at Syria, which is continuing to make every effort in order to dissolve the issues and decisions in resolution 1701, which can influence Syria's status quo. He hinted that the Syrians will continue to smuggle arms to Hizbullah.

Halutz addressed the possibility of peace with Syria, saying: "Peace is always preferable to war, but we must ask what is and isn't possible."

He added that the "IDF is ready for war at any moment, this is fundamental."

Roee Nahmias contributed to this report