The Israeli army came under scathing criticism for the first time in a report by State Comptroller Ernest Nebenzahl released today. The report, covering Israel’s invasion and occupation of south Lebanon in April, 1978, cited errors in logistics, operational matters, and intelligence and serious breaches of discipline including looting by Israeli troops.
The army said today that all decencies noted by the Comptroller have been corrected and that punitive measures have been taken against-officers and soldiers found responsible.
The Lebanese incursion, known as the Litani Operation because Israel occupied the region as for north as the Litani River, resulted in 21 fatalities to Israeli troops. But not all of them were the result of combat, Nebenzahl’s report pointed out. Some soldiers were killed because they evaded or ignored standing orders and discipline.
The Comptroller cited at least three cases in which Israeli soldiers crossed the front lines unknowingly because roadblocks were not manned or control was lax. Some units were not properly alerted before the operation began and some went into action un-properly equipped. One unit entered Lebanon with only 70 percent of its assigned troop carriers, the report stated, Intelligence was inadequate and units were not provided with the necessary maps.
SAYS CALLUP WAS MISMANAGED
According to the Comptroller’s report, the calling up of reserve units was mismanaged. Many addresses were incorrect, resulting in needed soldiers not being called, while others who were not immediately needed were ordered to report and remained idle for 10 days before tasks were assigned to them.
Nebenzahl reported that 178 soldiers, a quarter of them non-commissioned officers and some junior officers took part in looting, mainly television sets, refrigerators, calculators and transistors. All have since been court martialed. The report mentioned excessive use of ammunition but conceded that it could not state positively if this was justified by military conditions or not.
The report was critical of other aspects of the military establishment. It stated that the Israel-made kfir jet fighter was incorporated into the Air force without proper calculation of the number of spare parts needed.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
