Der Spiegel, 31st - “Israeli’s puzzling military strategy”  by Siegesmund Ilsemann

Israel underestimated Hezbollah, which is strategically more powerful and better armed than most expected. Israel has already lost 33 of its soldiers...

The Islamic militia is taking on even Israel’s most powerful weaponry. “Never before has a terrorist organization had such highly advanced military technology at its disposal” laments retired General Yaakov Amidror.
In spite of some precision-guided Israeli bombings, H.Nasrallah has sought to exploit this apparent lack of a serious plan on the part of the Israeli.

“This war was avoidable” - Giora Eiland, 54, a general in the Israel Army reserves and former security adviser to Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert, discusses strategic failures of the Israeli government and military that have contributed to the current crisis. He answers the Spiegel journalist’s questions:
This is not a normal war. It is a war between a state, Israel, and an organization, the Hezbollah. In such a case, there are four expectations: the operation will be short, the number of casualties low, there will be only few innocent victims and we can reach a decisive victory.
But we didn’t deal sufficiently with this kind of war. We had to draw our attention to many fronts. The Hezbollah by contrast was ready. Fortunately the Israeli Army knows how to learn new lessons quickly. Many mistakes were made. To name just one: the terrorists dug a tunnel under the border and came out behind the Israeli watchtower.
This war could have been prevented if we had reacted four years ago when the Hezbollah was weaker. At that time, I had a plan. I explained to Sharon and later to Olmert that we could not merely demand the implementation of UN resolution 1559 and the disarmament of the Hezbollah. Israel had also to make concessions – like the release of Lebanese prisoners, to stop the flights into Lebanese air space  and to agree to a redemarcation of the border between Israel and Lebanon. Sharon and Olmert underestimated the severeness of the security situation at the Lebanese border. The problems at the Palestinian front seemed more urgent.

“US position on cease-fire totally unacceptable” ( interview with Syrian Foreign Minister)

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, 65, says American’s rejection of an immediate cease-fire in Lebanon is “totally unacceptable”. He denies that Syria has been supplying arms to Hezbollah and says an international force in Lebanon will only work if it isn’t perceived as merely protecting Israel.
 We were not invited to the peace talks in Rome, because the United States and Europe are isolating us.
No, I do not condemn Hezbollah. I condemn Israel for holding thousands of Palestinians and a few Lebanese in its prisons including women, children and old, sick people. Israel does not want a peaceful solution.
It is time that Europe frees itself from the American hold