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Israeli army 'humiliated'
14/07/2006 12:42 - (SA)
Jerusalem - Israel, which boasts the strongest military in the Middle East, has been dealt another humiliating blow with the latest capture and killing of its soldiers by militants, leaving top brass red-faced.
A columnist in Israel's leading Haaretz newspaper labelled the seizure of two soldiers by Hezbollah guerrillas in a deadly border attack on Wednesday a "ringing failure" for the army.
But senior officers have been quick to point the finger at the political echelon, headed by a premier and defence minister with little personal military experience, whom they charge have shied away from tough action.
Three soldiers abducted
In all, three Israeli soldiers have been snatched and 11 killed by militants on two fronts - the Gaza and Lebanese borders - in barely three weeks.
While Israel was licking its wounds and waging a massive offensive in the Gaza Strip following the abduction of an Israeli soldier in a deadly Palestinian attack, a second blow hit the army on the northern border.
In broad daylight, Hezbollah guerrillas blew a hole in the electric fence on the border, infiltrated one of the most heavily militarised areas in the region, ambushed two army jeeps, shot dead three soldiers, snatched another two and fled unharmed.
It was an hour before the military command realised two servicemen had gone missing.
Caught off guard - again
Another five soldiers were killed in the ensuing rescue effort, which has so far failed to recover the missing servicemen despite a massive ground, air and sea assault.
Reserve Major General Doron Almog admitted that the Israel defence forces had been caught off guard - again.
"Hezbollah succeeded to surprise an IDF force in a well-planned ambush. This dragged Israel into a new crisis," he told AFP.
A military source involved in Israel's operation in Lebanon admitted commanders where "extremely frustrated" with the success of the Hezbollah attack.
"We shouldn't wait one second and deal Hezbollah such a painful blow that it will not lift its head up for years," the officer told AFP on condition on anonymity.
- AFP
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