Ashkenazi: IDF ready to implement war's lessons

The IDF is prepared to implement the lessons of last summer's Lebanon war, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said Wednesday. Speaking at a memorial ceremony at Kibbutz Dafna for the 73 soldiers who died ten years ago in a helicopter collision, Ashkenazi said that "our soldiers [had] shown power and determination, and achieved goals." "However," Ashkenazi continued, the war sparked questions and criticism. "The belief that our path is justified, that we can be a free people, is what has made the IDF special and united its soldiers since [the army's] inception," Ashkenazi said.