Report: Netanyahu likely to fire IDF chief if reelected; Zamir alone in ...
Report: Netanyahu likely to fire IDF chief if reelected; Zamir alone in opposing Iran-related pre-election move, with Mossad and Shin Bet chiefs in favor
Nava Freiberg is The Times of Israel's deputy diplomatic correspondent.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to dismiss IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir if he forms the next government, Channel 12 reports, amid reports of a deepening rift over the premier’s demand for military preparations related to Iran ahead of tomorrow’s election.
Citing multiple sources involved in recent security talks on the matter, Channel 12 says the rift is considered irreparable and that Zamir is unlikely to remain in his post, though he might resign before he is fired.
Shortly after the report, the Prime Minister’s Office dismisses “reports about the premier and the chief of staff” as “totally fake news from start to finish.”
Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have denied earlier reports of a confrontation with Zamir over Iran-related military action, with Katz insisting that Israel had no intention to strike Iran before the election.
According to the Channel 12 report, Zamir is alone among Israel’s senior security chiefs in opposing the military preparations sought by Netanyahu and Katz, warning that Tehran could misinterpret the moves and launch a preemptive attack.
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article gives Zamir's objection only as a fear that Tehran could misinterpret the moves. It never says that sources told Channel 12 that Zamir and other military leaders feared the political leadership was trying to use the Iran front for political gain before the election. Without this, a reader takes the dispute as a purely operational disagreement over risk.
How we know
- The Jerusalem Post reported“Zamir and additional IDF leadership are concerned that the political echelon may be trying to exploit the front with Iran ahead of elections for political gain”IDF chief pushed back on Netanyahu order for ‘action’ against Iran, fearing political motives (opens in a new tab)
- Antiwar.com reported“to utilize the Iranian issue for political benefit”Israeli Media: IDF Chief Resisted Netanyahu Order for Military Action Related to Iran (opens in a new tab)
Mossad chief Roman Gofman and Shin Bet chief David Zini reportedly support proceeding without delay, with Gofman said to have warned during the discussions that “time is not on our side.”
The network says it could not establish where Air Force commander Omer Tischler and Military Intelligence chief Shlomi Binder, who were also present in the discussions, stand on the matter.
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