Amid reported daylight between IDF chief and PM, Yair Netanyahu says Katz insisted Zamir head military

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s son Yair claims Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir was appointed as IDF chief of staff because Defense Minister Israel Katz insisted on the choice.

After an X user questioned why Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu chose Zamir, despite his base urging him not to pick someone who was part of the old “conceptzia” — Israel’s strategic thinking before October 7, 2023 — Yair Netanyahu answers: “Israel Katz was the one who insisted.”

Another user asks why there were only three nominees and if it was possible to add a fourth.

“He [Katz] determines the nominees,” Netanyahu replies.

Additionally, Yedioth Aharonoth military correspondent Yossi Yehoshua writes: “If Netanyahu really is interested in making the really dramatic and divisive decision among the Israeli public — the occupation of Gaza City and the central camps — he needs to stand before the nation, clarify the expected price to the lives of the hostages and soldiers who will fall, and declare that he takes full responsibility, despite the IDF’s opposition.”

Yair Netanyahu replies, “If whoever dictated to you that tweet is who we think, this is a rebellion and attempted military coup fit for a banana republic in Central America during the 70s. This is completely criminal,” apparently claiming Zamir dictated the journalist’s posts.

The latest controversial post from Netanyahu, who has been accused in the past of promoting conspiracy theories, was made amid a reported disagreement between Netanyahu and Zamir.

Netanyahu reportedly told ministers this week that he will seek cabinet backing for a plan to fully occupy the Gaza Strip, while Zamir is said to oppose the move.

Almost all of the defense ministers and military chiefs who previously served under Netanyahu have fallen out with the premier after their tenures, with the premier casting them as leftists and them becoming staunch critics of his leadership.