High-ranking Air Force intel officer faked elements of life story for years – report

A major in the Israel Defense Force’s air force intelligence was discovered to have fabricated significant parts of her biography, shocking her superior officers, Hebrew-language media reported Friday.

The officer served in a classified role, with “enormous responsibility for human life, and was slated to be promoted to lieutenant colonel” in the coming weeks, Channel 12 news said, naming her only by the first initial of her name in Hebrew, “Mem.”

An IDF spokesperson confirmed to the outlet that “an investigation is undergoing about which, for obvious reasons, we can’t elaborate.”

The spokesperson added that no classified information was thought to have been leaked.

According to the report, the officer had falsely told her colleagues about two deceased men with whom she had had relationships. The officer’s superiors were even said to have visited her at home when she was grieving, even though the men were later found to have never existed.

In a separate instance, the officer’s colleagues reportedly accompanied her to Sheba Medical Center, where they thought she was to undergo treatment for cancer. They later discovered that she never had cancer and was never hospitalized.

An investigation was said to have been launched into the officer after one of her fellow officers in recent months voiced suspicion about her life story. The officer herself was reportedly interrogated over the past week.

It was unclear if she had been discharged from the military or disciplined in any way.

According to Channel 12, the investigation found that the officer did not leak any classified information, nor was she motivated by financial gain.

The news network reported that Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar ordered a further probe to prevent similar cases in the future.