JERUSALEM: Israel's naval commander Admiral David Ben Bashat has resigned earlier than expected, the army announced on Friday amid continued fallout from last summer's Lebanon war.Ben Bashat served the regulation three years but as a commanding officer was entitled to remain in the job for an extra year. As a result, his decision to go was widely linked to naval failures during the 34-day war with Hezbollah.

Israeli chief of staff General Gaby Ashkenazi accepted his decision and thanked Ben Bashat for his 37 years in the service.

Ben Bashat's departure comes after army chief of staff Dan Halutz resigned in January and after defence minister Amir Peretz lost his job. Both had been heavily criticised for their performance during the July-August war.

The navy also came under bitter criticism after Hezbollah fired an Iranian-made missile into one of its ships, the INS Hanit, off Beirut last July 14, killing four sailors and causing extensive damage to the corvette. According to a military investigation, the navy was completely unaware that Hezbollah had such a weapon and did not take the appropriate precautions.—AFP