JERUSALEM - The commission charged with investigating Israel's failings in the Lebanon war will this week publish part of an interim report on political responsibility, Channel 10 television reported on Monday.

A document will be released on Wednesday or Thursday, and according to one member of the commission cited by the station will "dispel the erroneous sentiment pushed by the media that political leaders will be spared in the (full) report."

About 70 politicians and military officials have testified before the commission since it was set up last September 17 under pressure from demonstrations by thousands of military reservists demanding an inquiry after last year's war.

Israel launched a 34-day war against Lebanon and Shiite Hezbollah militants after they seized two soldiers in a cross-border raid on July 12. The conflict ended just over a month later on August 14 with a UN-brokered ceasefire.

The protesters denounced the unpreparedness of both regular and reserve units committed to the fight, as well as confusion and frequent counter orders from the military command.

They also slammed the failure to achieve the campaign's objectives, namely to destroy Hezbollah's military capability and free the two soldiers held by the militants.

Among the demands of the demonstrators were the resignation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, his Defence Minister Amir Peretz and the military chief of staff, General Dan Halutz.

So far only Halutz has anticipated the commission's report, which is due for release in the coming weeks, by resigning on January 17.

Olmert reportedly told the commission that Israel's military strategy during the war, which killed more than 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers, and more than 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, had been drawn up months in advance. -AFP