Israel chooses new army chief - reports

JERUSALEM, Jan 22 (Reuters) Israeli leaders have chosen a new army chief to replace the general who quit last week over the July/August war with Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, Israeli media reports said today.

Gaby Ashkenazy, a retired general with experience on the Lebanese front, was expected to be formally approved for the job by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Israel Radio and two mass circulation dailies said.

Ashkenazy, 52, an infantry commander, would replace Lieutenant-General Dan Halutz once his nomination was approved by the Israeli cabinet.

The Yedioth Ahronoth daily said Olmert might announce his choice of Ashkenazy later today.

Olmert's spokeswoman Miri Eisin denied he had made a final decision. ''This is all speculation in the media,'' she said but added Olmert hoped to decide on a worthy chief of staff as soon as possible.

Defence Minister Amir Peretz announced his choice of Ashkenazy, who headed the army's northern command in the final years of Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon, after consultations with Olmert.

Israeli media said another leading candidate for the job, the army's deputy chief of staff, Gen Moshe Kaplinsky, had written a letter dropping out of the race.

Halutz, a former air force chief, resigned last week after months of public criticism of the military's failure to crush Hezbollah, retrieve two captured soldiers or halt rocket attacks on the Jewish state during the 2006 war in Lebanon.

Reuters BDP DB1132