Israel Defense Minister Denounces Gadi Eisenkot for Urging Military Resistance

Defense Minister Yisrael Katz condemned former military chief and Yashar party chairman Gadi Eisenkot for urging senior security officials to resist directives from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The dispute follows Tuesday's election, during which Eisenkot characterized Netanyahu as a caretaker prime minister lacking a mandate and warned him not to use national security for political needs.

Eisenkot told military officials to serve the state and the interests of citizens rather than the premier, offering them his unequivocal backing if they resisted political pressure. Katz responded by calling these remarks undemocratic and disconnected from reality, accusing Eisenkot of encouraging insubordination as part of a campaign of lies regarding tensions between the government and the military.

The clash occurs amid reports of a confrontation between Netanyahu and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir over potential military action against Iran. While Netanyahu and Katz have dismissed these reports as baseless, the Israel Defense Forces issued a statement clarifying that its operational activities and considerations are solely professional and security-related.