Olmert and his aides are expected to be heavily criticised by the Winograd Commission, which he appointed under pressure after the war ended in a cease-fire with Hezbollah guerrillas without achieving the goals he set out.

The interim findings, released last April by the panel headed by a retired judge, Eliyahu Winograd, accused Olmert of "severe failures" and hasty decisions at the beginning of the 34-day war against Hezbollah guerrillas.

Between 1,035 and 1,191 Lebanese civilians and combatants were killed in the war, as were 119 Israeli soldiers and 39 civilians, according to official figures from the two sides.