The findings of the Winograd Commission are proof of Israel’s failure in the 2006 war in Lebanon, Hizbullah says.
The Winograd Commission issued its final report on the war, over 600 pages, on Wednesday evening.
The commission criticized the function of the Israeli government and army during the 34-day war with Hizbullah.
The report said there were failures in the decision-making process in both the government and the army, a lack of strategic thinking, lack of readiness, and flaws in the defense of the civilian population, which came under a barrage of rockets throughout the war.
However, the commission was more toned down than the public criticism over the decision to launch a ground offensive in Lebanon in the last two days of the war, an offensive in which 33 Israeli soldiers were killed.
Although it did not stop the rocket attacks, the commission said this offensive was "almost a necessity", and that its aims were legitimate.
It concluded that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and then defense minister, ‘Amir Peretz, acted based upon a sincere estimation of what they deemed right at the time, and had Israel’s best interests in mind.
A Hizbullah spokesman told AFP that the report showed the immensity of Israel’s failure, and that Lebanon was victorious, despite its losses.