Dissent mounts in Israel over Lebanon war

For the first time, opinion polls showed a sharp drop in support for the Israeli government over its handling of the offensive in Lebanon and mainstream parties and movements outright withdrew their support for the war.

In a survey published by the Haaretz daily a month after the offensive was launched, 73 percent of respondents said Israel could not claim to have won the war against the Lebanese Hezbollah militia if the fighting stopped now.

Since it killed eight soldiers and captured two others in a July 12 border attack, the guerrilla group has continued to rain rockets on Israel, inflicting 120 Israeli casualties.

Only 48 percent of those polled said they were satisfied with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's performance since the start of the offensive a month ago.

In a front-page article titled "Olmert Must Go," the independent Haaretz daily piled blame on the premier for a series of mistakes.

"There is no mistake Ehud Olmert did not make this past month," senior editorialist Ari Shavit said.

"He went to war hastily, without properly gauging the outcome. He blindly followed the military without asking the necessary questions.

"The day Nasrallah comes out of his bunker and declares victory to the whole world, Olmert must not be in the prime minister's office. Post-war battered and bleeding Israel needs a new start and a new leader. It needs a real prime minister."

Shavit echoed growing criticism that Olmert, who has little military experience, was now having cold feet after ordering Israel's largest military operation in a quarter century.

Right-wing lawmaker Yuval Steinitz also said that "if it accepts a ceasefire, the government will have to resign because it will have handed an unprecedented victory to Hezbollah".