Defense Minister Israel Katz launched a forceful political counteroffensive on Wednesday against Yashar party Chairman and former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, after Eisenkot made comments late Tuesday evening as election exit polls were released. At the center of Katz’s critique is the accusation that Eisenkot effectively urged top military and security commanders to withhold compliance with directives from the elected political echelon—a stance Katz characterized as fundamentally undemocratic and detached from constitutional norms.
Writing on his official X account, the defense minister took direct aim at the content and tone of Eisenkot’s address. “Much will yet be said about Eisenkot’s embarrassing speech yesterday,” Katz stated. “His appeal to senior IDF commanders not to obey the directives of the Prime Minister, myself, and authorized security forums because ‘they have his backing’ is an undemocratic and detached statement,” Katz argued that Eisenkot’s intervention was not an isolated misstep, but rather the planned culmination of a partisan strategy pursued throughout the campaign. According to the defense minister, the remarks represent “the continuation of the deceitful campaign that he and his colleagues ran throughout the election concerning purported clashes between the military echelon and the political echelon regarding Iran.”
Rebutting assertions of friction within Israel’s high command, Katz emphasized the close operational synchronization between the defense establishment and the cabinet. “The IDF was a full partner to the monumental achievements against Iran, remains a full partner today in all security deliberations, and will execute every decision required,” Katz concluded. The confrontation follows Eisenkot’s speech before party activists at Yashar headquarters on Tuesday night immediately following the broadcast of network exit polls. Speaking while votes were still uncounted, Eisenkot addressed senior defense commanders and civil service leaders directly, labeling Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “a transition prime minister without a mandate or public trust.”
Eisenkot urged the security brass to “stand strong and resolute against any attempt to challenge you,” assuring them, “you have my unequivocal backing.” He further warned Netanyahu against deploying national defense assets for political survival. He proclaimed the end of “the era of evasion, blunders, and lies,” sparking severe backlash from coalition leaders who accused him of undermining the military chain of command before official election results were even tallied.