State comptroller weighing opening probe of military's war footing

State Comptroller Yosef Shapira has instructed the IDF to transfer him the findings of an internal report on its readiness for a military conflict, the Haaretz daily reports, as he considers opening his own probe into the army’s war footing.

The State Comptroller’s office told the newspaper it will make a decision on whether to open a probe after reviewing the relevant materials.

The development comes amid a public spat between the Israel Defense Forces and the military ombudsman over a report released by the latter charging that the army is unprepared for war. Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot has appointed a panel led by the military comptroller to assess the claims by Maj. Gen. (res.) Yitzhak Brick, the IDF ombudsman.

Brick argued earlier today in a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman that the IDF could not accurately assess itself and reiterated his stance that the military is not prepared for war.