Hezbollah has hailed an Israeli government report that accuses the regime's leaders of 'severe failures' during the 2006 war with Lebanon.

A senior Hezbollah member, Sheikh Hassan Ezzeddine, said on Monday that the report released by the Winograd Committee confirmed that Israeli leaders were in a state of confusion during their 34-day onslaught against Hezbollah.

The report "confirmed the inability of the Israeli political and military leadership to take the appropriate decision to confront Hezbollah during the summer war,'' he said.

Nabil Qaouk, the group's chief for south Lebanon said, "The Winograd report is an admission of Israel's historic defeat in the face of the fighters of Hezbollah", adding "This report heralds a new phase in which the enemy will continue its downward slide while the resistance will continue to grow stronger."

Nawaf Musawi, head of the international relations for Hezbollah, called the war a "divine victory" against Israel. He said that the report proves that senior Israeli officials had underestimated Hezbollah's power, adding that "no one will take us lightly from now on."

Monday's highly anticipated Israeli report says Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and the outgoing Army Chief Dan Halutz hastily pushed the regime into conflict without a comprehensive plan, exercised poor judgment and bore ultimate responsibility for the mid-summer war.

Olmert, who has already faced growing calls for resignation, said the "failures will be remedied'' and vowed to remain in office.

But Ezzeddine predicted that political, public and military pressure would eventually force Olmert to step down. "Olmert will not be able to stay put in the face of pressure from the military, opposition parties and the Israeli public,'' he said.

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