Chapter 15 examines the rise of Ehud Olmert as prime minister and primary decision-maker after Ariel Sharon fell into coma. The chapter focuses on the defining event of Ehud Olmert’s first months in office, namely, the Israel-Hezbollah 2006 Lebanon War. The chapter contributes to the literature by providing a detailed examination of the decision-making process that led to the war and its conduct. The chapter demonstrates that Israel embarked on a botched war of choice and provides a comprehensive analysis of why the IDF performed poorly in the conflict against Hezbollah. Finally, it offers the first account of how the outcome of the 2006 Lebanon War significantly weakened the domestic support in Israel for its unilateralist foreign policy posture and for the leading Israeli troika during the war: Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defence Minister Amir Peretz, and IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz.