Former military spokesperson denies advising IDF chief to cross defense minister

Former military spokesman Avi Benayahu denies a report by the Kan public broadcaster claiming he was part of an “inner circle” advising IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, amid escalating tensions between Zamir and Defense Minister Israel Katz.

“I am not advising the chief of staff and am not part of any ‘secret inner circle,'” Benayahu says on X.

“The report is not true. I made this very clear to the reporter who spoke with me. I honestly told him that I met Zamir once in his office in the presence of the IDF spokesperson for a background conversation, and that I spoke with him only twice by phone,” he says.

Benayahu takes aim at the author of the report, saying he believes that the item by Kan last night “was leaked to a respected diplomatic reporter who is less familiar with matters concerning the chief of staff and his office, and it was apparently intended to ‘pave the way’ for an announcement issued this morning by the defense minister’s office about ‘anti-government advisers’ (what is that?) advising Zamir.”

The Kan report said that Zamir had held consultations with several former high-ranking army officers, including ex-chief of staff Gabi Ashkenazi, former Operations Directorate head Israel Ziv, and Benayahu, all of whom have been critical of the government.

On Wednesday, Katz accused Zamir of an “attempt to change the procedures we decided on, perhaps on the recommendation of anti-government advisers stirring the pot.” He said that “an attempt to create facts on the ground in ad hoc meetings will not succeed.”