JERUSALEM, Aug 20: Israel’s top general conceded on Sunday his army had failed to knock out Hezbollah in more than a month of fighting, and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he might order a broader investigation into the war.

Addressing Israel’s cabinet, Lieutenant-General Dan Halutz insisted gains were made during the 34-day conflict against the Lebanese guerilla group, but acknowledged that the result was not widely perceived as a convincing victory.

“The feeling of the public is that it was not a knockout blow,” Halutz told ministers, according to a government source.

“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.”

He added: “We scored achievements with regard to every one of the targets that were set.”

Nearly 1,200 people in Lebanon and 157 Israelis were killed during the war, in which villages in southern Lebanon and areas of Beirut were heavily damaged by Israeli air strikes and northern Israel was shut down by Hezbollah rockets.

While Israeli commanders say nearly 500 Hezbollah fighters were killed, the guerilla group’s leadership remains intact and its support in Lebanon and beyond appears undiminished.

Hezbollah says only a few of its fighters were killed.

It is not clear how much of Hezbollah’s 12,000-strong arsenal of rockets Israel managed to destroy during its air, sea and land campaign that began after Hezbollah captured two Israeli soldiers in a raid across the border on July 12.

A ceasefire took effect on August 14.

The Israeli public has shown its disappointment with the outcome of the war, with Olmert’s popularity falling sharply in opinion polls and some commentators calling for him to quit.

Defence Minister Amir Peretz last week appointed a commission to investigate the conduct of the war, but Olmert indicated on Sunday he could go further and order a broader, state inquiry that looks beyond the defence ministry.

“We are holding consultations and checking with the attorney-general regarding the configuration of the investigation and this will be put together in the coming days and presented to the cabinet,” Olmert told ministers.

“What we need to do now is...to complete this process and this should also be part of the investigation, to draw lessons from the past in order to confront the current reality.”—Reuters