Lebanon army chief says Israel report a victory

[bemildred]

BEIRUT (AFP) - An Israeli report on the 2006 Lebanon war is a victory for both the Lebanese army and for Hezbollah, the Shiite movement whose cross-border raid sparked the conflict, Lebanon's army chief said in comments published Thursday.

"We did not expect an official Israeli body to condemn publicly its government and army," General Michel Sleiman, who is tipped to become president, told As-Safir newspaper.

"The Winograd Report confirms that Israel ... is the one that took the decision to launch war on Lebanon without any justification.

"Israel's public admission that its army failed in Lebanon strengthens our confidence in ourselves as Lebanese ... and confirms the joint victory of the army and the resistance," he added, using a common term for Hezbollah.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080131/wl_mideast_afp/mideastconflictisraellebanonarmy