KEY POINTS:
JERUSALEM - An Israeli general in charge of troops along the Lebanese border resigned yesterday after being accused of failing to prevent the capture of two soldiers that triggered a month-long war with Hizbollah guerrillas.
Brigadier-General Gal Hirsch is the second Israeli general to quit amid widespread public criticism of military failures during the 34-day war that ended with a UN-brokered ceasefire in mid-August.
"He has submitted his resignation," a military spokeswoman said of Hirsch who, media reports said, stepped down after a military probe accused him of "improper functioning" after the two soldiers were seized on July 12.
Hizbollah abducted them in a cross-border raid in which eight other troops were killed. Israel responded with heavy aerial bombardments of Lebanon.
Hirsch had been head of the Galilee Brigades, which is responsible for patrolling Israel's northern border.
- REUTERS
