An Israeli army general resigned on Wednesday because of differences with Chief of Staff Dan Halutz over the conduct of the 34-day offensive on Hezbollah, local media reported. Maj. Gen. Udi Adam, head of Israel's Northern Command, handed in his letter of resignation to Halutz and was accepted.

He would be replaced as quickly as possible, reports said.

Adam reportedly had several tiffs with Halutz during the war. Halutz appointed Maj. Gen. Moshe Kaplinski, deputy army chief, to command the war while the fighting was raging.

"The Kaplinski appointment was a hard blow for Adam," one officer was quoted as saying. "It was only a matter of time before he decided to resign."

Adam's resignation also fueled calls for other senior Israeli military officials to step down.

The 34-day war which left 162 Israelis dead failed to achieve its main objectives of retrieving two soldiers captured by Hezbollah guerrillas in a raid on July 12 and halting a barrage of rocket attacks by the militant group.

Israel was heavily criticized abroad for its devastating use of force in Lebanon, where more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed and thousands of homes and infrastructure targets bombed.

Sources close to Adam said that the general made the decision to resign about a month ago, but delayed stepping down from his post until after the last Israeli soldier returned from Lebanon.

Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz on Wednesday praised Adam's devotion to the country.

"Maj. Gen. Adam was one of those people ready to sacrifice a lot for this country," he said. "We will need to inspect what is the significance of his decision."

Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer praised Adam's decision to step down, saying it showed that he was willing to take his part of responsibility for the handling of the war. Ben- Eliezer believed Halutz should follow Adam's example.

"I call on Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Dan Halutz to look the Israeli public and bereaved families in the eye, to take responsibility and go home," Ben-Eliezer said.

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