JERUSALEM Israel's army chief fired a top general late Wednesday over his criticism of the war in Lebanon and government policy, the army said in a statement. Maj. Gen. Yiftah Ron-Tal broke with army practice and gave unauthorized interviews to several Israeli news media earlier Wednesday, saying the army chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz, must "accept responsibility" for the shortcomings of Israel's 34-day war with Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas, which ended Aug. 14. Ron-Tal did not dispute the usual Hebrew connotation of the phrase — "resign."

Ron-Tal is the second general to exit over the war. The commander of the northern sector, including the Lebanon border, Maj. Gen. Udi Adam, resigned after Halutz posted another general to oversee his command during the fighting.

Ron-Tal, who was already on leave before his scheduled retirement in December, was the commander of Israeli ground forces, a senior position.

In the interviews, he also criticized Israel's unilateral pullout from Gaza a year ago, leading military commentators to the conclusion that the general stepped across the line into politics.

In a letter to Ron-Tal, Halutz said he was terminating the general's stay in the military immediately. According to a statement from the Israeli military, Halutz wrote that Ron-Tal's decision to make public statements was "unacceptable." He wrote, "Israeli soldiers are forbidden to deal with political subjects and make public comments on political and diplomatic issues, and all the more so, it is forbidden for soldiers to publicly criticize the government." The army statement did not refer to Ron-Tal's call on Halutz to step down.

The Israeli offensive in Lebanon failed to achieve the goals stated by the government — decimating Hezbollah and winning return of two abducted Israeli soldiers. Instead, Hezbollah pelted Israel with almost 4,000 rockets during the fighting

A government-appointed commission is looking into the handling of the war by the Cabinet and the army, amid widespread criticism that has left Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's popularity in tatters and has led to many calls for Halutz's resignation.