JERUSALEM, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was responsible for launching the Second Lebanon war without sufficient deliberation and without a solid plan of action, said an interim report released on Monday afternoon.

    A panel led by retired judge Eliahu Winograd formally handed to Olmert the interim report looking into Israeli leader's management of last summer's Israel-Hezbollah conflict which Israel called the Second Lebanon War.

    The report called Olmert's decision-making irrational, irresponsible, and lacking in caution.

    In addition, it also criticized the conducts of Israeli Defense Minister Amir Peretz and former Chief of Staff Dan Halutz during the 34-day conflict.

    It says that Peretz's inexperience and conduct weakened the government's ability to deal with its challenges and also accuses Halutz, who resigned in January, of overestimating the preparation of Israeli troops to go to war.

    The 34-day conflict erupted on July 12, 2006 when Hezbollah guerrillas kidnapped two Israeli soldiers in a cross-border attack. Some 158 Israelis and 1200 Lebanese were killed during the confrontation.