Lebanon voiced concern that Israel may be preparing for a repeat of its 2006 war against Hezbollah.
Prime Minister Fouad Siniora responded Thursday to the Winograd Commission’s final war report by noting its call on the Olmert government to ensure Israel’s armed forces are prepared for future conflicts.
“The report calls for preparation for the next war, which shows that Israel has not learned the appropriate lesson from its defeat,” Siniora’s media office said in a statement.
“The enemy’s aims towards Lebanon have stayed the same – that is, attacking Lebanon in the future.”
In fact, the Winograd Commission’s conclusions, delivered Wednesday, said Israel must be ready to repel any attacks by its regional foes while pursuing peace.
“Seeking peace or managing the conflict must come from a position of social, political and military strength, and through the ability and willingness to fight for the state, its values and the security of its population even in the absence of peace,” the report said.
Israel went to war with Hezbollah guerrillas after they abducted two of its soldiers on July 12, 2006, but many ordinary Lebanese were hurt in the conflict.
Hezbollah, which lost its frontier strongholds and several hundred fighters during the war, hailed the Winograd report as “confirmation” that Israel “lost.”
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