Israeli military chief resigns

Occupied Jerusalem: The man who orchestrated last year's attacks on Lebanon has resigned, according to the Israeli military.

Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, who had been widely criticized within Israel for his handling of the war, had resisted calls for quit for several months.

But the military said that he had tendered his resignation because the military inquiries into the war had now been completed.

A statement said: “Now that this process has been completed, the chief of staff has asked to resign immediately.''

Army Radio reported on Wednesday morning that Halutz took responsibility for the outcome of the war, which was launched after two Israeli soldiers were kidnapped by Hezbollah fighters, in his resignation letter.

“For me the concept of responsibility is everything,'' Halutz said in his letter.

Halutz's decision to stand down increases the pressure on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defence Minister Amir Perez, who have also been heavily criticized for their roles in July's war which killed more than 1,000 Lebanese civilians and saw Israel fail to crush Hezbollah or recover two kidnapped soldiers.