Interior Minister Eli Yishai declared this week that the Israel Defense Forces failed in the Second Lebanon War because soldiers did not pray or "raise their eyes to God", Channel 10 reported on Tuesday.

At a celebration earlier this week, Yishai took to the podium and compared the 2006 Second Lebanon War to the successes of the 1967 Six Day War, when "all Arab states fought against Israel."

Open gallery view Interior Minister Eli Yishai. Credit: Emil Salman

"There were at least one hundred soldiers against every Jewish soldier, if not thousands," Yishai said, "against every tank, hundreds of tanks; against every plane, hundreds of plane."

The interior minister claimed that the IDF achieved more in 1967 because the soldiers put their faith in God, whereas during the Second Lebanon War, the IDF soldiers invested trust only in their own abilities.

"In the Six Day War, every Jew, and every Jew that went to battle, raised their eyes to the creator," the Interior Minister said. But in the Second Lebanon War, Yishai said, the IDF relied only on its own strength.

"This is a great lesson," Yishai said. "When all Arab states are against the Jewish people, what will save the Jewish people is study of the Torah."

Yishai described the Six Day War as "miracles and wonders."

"Then we were the weakest army in the Middle East. We had no chance of winning. Suddenly, everyone flees, and the nation of Israel wins," he added.

At the time of the Second Lebanon War, however, Yishai said, "We were the strongest army in the Middle East."

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