Olmert may order broad probe of war

JERUSALEM, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday he might order a broad investigation into the 34-day war against Hezbollah.

Addressing Israel's cabinet, Olmert said the investigation would be broader than the commission into the Defense Ministry that Defense Minister Amir Peretz appointed last week.

That commission has been harshly criticized for including Peretz friends and advisers who may have been involved in the very decision making they are supposed to investigate, Israel's Arutz Sheva broadcasting network reports.

Olmert's announcement also follows an acknowledgment by Israel's top general Sunday that his army had failed to defeat Hezbollah.

"The feeling of the public is that it was not a knockout blow," Lieutenant-General Dan Halutz told the cabinet ministers.

He added: "Alongside the successes, there are issues that have to be investigated. Just as medals will be handed out, we will also have to investigate the opposite."