Jerusalem, Sept 14 (ZEENEWS.COM) Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz admitted yesterday that there were "failures" during the 34-day war against Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas that ended a month ago and said they must be corrected.

Appearing on a news channel in what was called his first interview since the war, the embattled minister said he backs a formal inquiry into Israel's handing of the war. He spoke just hours after Maj Gen Udi Adam, the Army Commander of Israel's northern front, including the Lebanon border, stepped down.

Peretz said he knew of no other officers who plan to quit, and hoped that "we will all begin a period of activity to carry out the conclusions that are obvious to everyone - the matter of the army's preparedness, the reserves, the level of training."

Peretz also appeared on Israel's two other TV stations around the same time this evening.

The war, set off July 12 when Hezbollah guerrillas carried out a cross-border raid into Israel, killing three soldiers and capturing two others, included Israeli airstrikes against the Lebanese capital, villages and infrastructure, with hundreds of dead, as Hezbollah rained nearly 4,000 rockets on Israel's north, killing dozens and causing widespread damage.