[Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA: Israel already has a "moed bet" - a chance to put
itself to the test again - in the form of Gaza.

Shin Bet Chief Yuval Diskin warned during a government meeting Sunday that
"the intensification of terror sources in Gaza is a strategic problem which,
if not treated properly, will result in a reality like in Lebanon. We don't
have to wait three years and then launch investigations."
www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3293529,00.html ]

Officer: IDF conceptually failed in last 6 years

IDF getting ready to have officials testify before committee of inquiry.
Naval forces examine how missile boat was hit off Lebanese shores, where
four soldiers died. 'It was a conceptual failure of all senior officials in
force in last six years,' says a senior official

Hanan Greenberg YNET 21 August

In the upcoming days, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will decide on the nature
of the committee that will inquire on the actions of senior officials in the
second war on Lebanon. Until it is established, and in light of the work
already done by the committee of inquiry led by Lieutenant General (res.)
Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, IDF units are preparing for the tough questions.

The Navay commanders, among other officials, will be asked to offer
explanations. The force played a central role in the war when it imposed a
closure on the beach of Lebanon, and at the same time attacked Katyusha
rocket launchers and long-range missile launchers. However, the force made
headlines on July 14 in light of more tragic events. On that same evening,
the Navy's missile boat was hit from a missile that was fired from the beach
and killed four crewmembers. This event will be remembered not only for the
death of the soldiers but also for the many questions that were raised, and
the change in the navy's perception.

Threat that became reality thought for years to be impossible

The attack of the missile boat put the naval forces into high gear, and in
an interview with ynet, a senior officer described that evening as "a
turning point." Other sources in the force did not hide the fact that a
C-802 missile hitting the ship located at 16 kilometers from the beach took
them by surprise. That surprise could have been avoided had there been a
prior thorough investigation, as was requested for a long time before the
war broke out - and not just in the naval forces.

"Its' inconceivable," the senior officer said. "The failure is not of one
officer or another on board the ship, but goes far beyond. We're talking
about a conceptual failure on the part of all the officers during the last
six years. We never imagined that such a threat was even possible, this was
impossible in our eyes," he stated.

One of the direct results of the missile boat incident was a change in the
Navy's basic assumption, according to which - from now on - any weapon that
the Iranians posses is likely to also be in the hands of Hizbullah.

"Anything that used to be considered illogical became logical. This needs to
be understood - a terror organization came into possession of a 700 kilogram
missile, 80 meter long and that carries 50 kilograms of explosives. How do
you even smuggle something like this?," he explained.

Senior officer: I failed in preparing troops for war

The Navy is not the only IDF branch where talks of last years' failures have
begun to surface. On Saturday, outgoing infantry and paratroopers officer,
Colonel Yossi Hayman, surprised his audience when he said in a ceremony on
the occasion of his retirement: "Part of the time we were guilty of the sin
of hubris, and I'm a part of this. some of us speak with pathos and use
confusing terms, which cover up for military ignorance and a lack of
professional understanding. this while our enemies improve, get stronger and
more professional."

Colonel Hayman did not hesitate to claim personal responsibility for those
failures. "I feel the heavy responsibility on my shoulders. I failed in
better preparing the infantry for the current war, the compulsory and
reserve units. I failed to prevent the erosion of the various companies."

(08.21.06, 01:05)