Defense Ministry issues statement hailing Katz, but tells reporters not to attribute it to anyone

A Haaretz reporter posts a screen shot of a statement that was sent to Israeli military correspondents by Defense Minister Israel Katz’s office hailing his efforts against Hezbollah but bars reporters from attributing the praise to anyone.

The statement is sent after the IDF struck Hezbollah targets in Beirut in response to rocket fire at northern Israel earlier today.

“The operation was carried out following the initiative of Defense Minister Israel Katz to create new rules of the game,” the statement says.

However, reporters are instructed not to attribute the statement to the Defense Ministry so that the touting of Katz would simply be reported as fact.

The attribution practice is regularly used by the IDF for what it says are security concerns.

תדרוך רקע בשם השר בלבד: הודעות בשם הכתב נועדו להעביר מסרים רגישים שייחוסם לגורם רשמי עשוי לפגוע בביטחון המדינה. לא כדי לגנוב קרדיט כמו גנב בחושך מ @idfonline ולעוף על עצמך. pic.twitter.com/Cq3nlSAxV6

— yaniv kubovich יניב קובוביץ (@yanivkub) March 28, 2025