Latest news with #Eyal Zamir
Free Malaysia Today
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Israeli military says approved plan for new Gaza offensive
Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli air strikes on Gaza City have intensified in recent days. (AP pic) JERUSALEM : The Israeli military said Wednesday it had approved the 'framework' for a new offensive in the Gaza Strip, days after the security cabinet called for the seizure of Gaza City. Armed forces chief lieutenant general Eyal Zamir 'approved the main framework for the IDF's operational plan in the Gaza Strip', a statement released by the army said. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government has not provided a precise timetable for when Israeli troops will enter the territory's largest city, where thousands have taken refuge after fleeing previous offensives. Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli air strikes on Gaza City have intensified in recent days, with the residential neighbourhoods of Zeitoun and Sabra hit 'with very heavy air strikes targeting civilian homes, possibly including high-rise buildings'. News of the military's approval of the plan comes hours after Hamas said a senior delegation had arrived in Cairo for 'preliminary talks' with Egyptian officials on a temporary truce. The Netanyahu government's plans to expand the Gaza war after more than 22 months of fighting have sparked an international outcry as well as domestic opposition. UN-backed experts have warned of widespread famine unfolding in the territory, where Israel has drastically curtailed the amount of humanitarian aid it allows in. Hamas's October 2023 attack, which triggered the war, has resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's offensive has killed at least 61,599 Palestinians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which the UN considers reliable.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Netanyahu, Zamir's spar over Gaza operations leaves IDF chief as winner in the public eye
The poll measured public satisfaction with three key figures at the center of decision-making: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir. IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir has a higher public approval rating than Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, according to a poll conducted for Maariv by Lazar Research and led by Dr. Menachem Lazar in cooperation with Panel4All. The survey found that 50% of the public were satisfied with Zamir's performance, 34% were dissatisfied, and 16% had no opinion. Among respondents who voted for opposition parties, 63% said they were satisfied with Zamir, while 42% who voted for coalition parties also expressed satisfaction. Netanyahu and Katz under heavy pressure Thirty-six percent of the public said they were satisfied with Netanyahu's performance, 59% said they were dissatisfied, and 5% were undecided. Among coalition voters, 86% said they were satisfied with Netanyahu. Among opposition voters, 11% expressed satisfaction, and 70% said they were undecided. Thirty-two percent of the public said they were satisfied with Katz's performance, 57% said they were dissatisfied, and 11% were undecided. Among coalition voters, 72% said they were satisfied with Katz, while 19% of opposition voters expressed satisfaction. Netanyahu and Zamir have been at odds over what operations to carry out in the Israel-Hamas War. They seemed to be on the same page until Zamir crossed Netanyahu over his Gaza war policy last week. Many defense officials believe the government's new policy could lead to the deaths of the remaining hostages, many more soldiers, and Palestinian civilians, as well as harm Israel's legitimacy without really weakening Hamas. According to some of them, Netanyahu has begun to blame Zamir for the current situation. Yonah Jeremy Bob contributed to this report. Solve the daily Crossword
The National
5 days ago
- Politics
- The National
Israel boasts strikes on Lebanon have breached ceasefire 600 times
Israeli air strikes on Lebanon have breached a ceasefire about 600 times, the head of Israel's army boasted on Thursday. Lt Gen Eyal Zamir visited Israeli troops still operating in Lebanon, where he said about 240 "terrorists" had been killed in strikes that regularly pound the south – and sometimes Beirut – despite the truce with Hezbollah last year. The November ceasefire also called for Israel to withdraw troops from Lebanon but its army maintains five positions in the south. "We are in a multi-arena war, adapting concepts to the threats," said Lt Gen Zamir in remarks published by Israel's military. "We are in all the arenas – launching strikes, all on our own initiative. "The achievements are unprecedented – since the ceasefire understandings, over 240 terrorists have been eliminated and approximately 600 air strikes carried out." He said Israel's operations in Lebanon had created a "new security and physical reality" that later enabled strikes on Iran during a 12-day war in June. Hezbollah did not intervene in that conflict. Israel's war in Lebanon killed thousands of people, left behind an estimated $11 billion of damage and left Hezbollah reeling from the deaths of senior figures, including leader Hassan Nasrallah. After the ceasefire deal was struck, a new Lebanese government took office, which is now pushing ahead with plans to disarm Hezbollah and bring all weapons under state control. Under the proposals, Lebanon's armed forces are to draw up plans this month to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year. Hezbollah rejects the proposals as bowing to Israeli and US pressure. Lt Gen Zamir's visit to Lebanon came hours after he approved the "main framework" for Israel's expanded war in Gaza. The general has done little to dispel rumours that he opposed the new offensive behind the scenes and that his objections were overruled by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 's security cabinet. His visit came on the day that Iran 's new security council chief Ali Larijani visited Beirut to warn against disarming Hezbollah. He was told, though, by Lebanese President Joseph Aoun that Lebanon "does not accept anyone interfering in its internal affairs" and regards Tehran's comments on the matter as unhelpful.
Yahoo
11-08-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Preparing 'all theaters of war': Surprise IDF exercise tests readiness for large-scale attacks
The operation is meant to test the IDF's reactionary capabilities and readiness for any possible large attacks. A surprise exercise titled 'Dawn,' meant to test the readiness of the IDF general headquarters and main command centers, began on Sunday, the military announced. Under the direction of Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, the drill is meant to test the heat-of-the-moment readiness and abilities of the IDF to deal with large-scale attacks. As part of the exercise, surprise scenarios and multi-scene events will be practiced in all possible 'theaters of war,' the military explained. IDF Internal Comptroller Brig.-Gen. (res.) Ofer Sarig and his team will be inspecting and judging the reaction time, both in quality and capability. IDF's drive to improve 'The IDF will continue and initiate a series of audit activities across all commands, branches, and units in order to improve their competence and readiness,' the statement concluded. This operation comes as the IDF continues to strike on all fronts, including attacking a Hezbollah terrorist in Lebanon on Saturday night. The IDF said it struck a Hezbollah terrorist in the Aynata area in southern Lebanon on Saturday, who was collecting intelligence on Israeli forces. The terrorist's actions constituted a violation of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, the military added.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
IDF responses to war crimes charges delayed again for months due to Iran op
There is now a third major probe into potential abuse of Palestinian detainees which could eventually lead to multiple indictments. The IDF was due to publish a major formal update on its war-crimes probes sometime in February and then again in late spring, but the report has been repeatedly delayed, this last time due to attention being deflected to strikes on Iran, The Jerusalem Post has learned. Earlier delays appear to have been related to IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir replacing Herzi Halevi; the increase in Israel's confidence in handling legitimacy issues, given the backing it received from the Trump administration; and the return to the ongoing Israel-Hamas War since March. On January 30, sources familiar with the matter told the Post a major new update was only weeks away. That message was repeated in late spring. Astonishingly, despite needing to keep up with international law's prompt probing requirements, as well as to debunk false war-crimes allegations against Israel in a timely manner by presenting its side of the story, the last significant update published by the IDF on its war-crimes probes was in August 2024. This came after IDF Military Advocate-General Maj.-Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi first started to provide public updates in May 2024. Temporarily, there seemed to be new support for issuing an update after the January 19 ceasefire with Hamas, with the premise that Israel could avoid the concern of a war-crimes probe impacting officers still in the field of an ongoing war. Also, Halevi's January 21 announcement that he would publish the report about the October 7 massacre before he resigned on March 6 collectively marked a distinct turning point in the conflict. When the update is published, it is expected to note that the number of preliminary operational reviews by the Fact Finding Mechanism of Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yoav Har-Even exceeds 1,000 cases, the Post has reason to believe. Within these reviews, as of April 20, Har-Even has moved forward with more in-depth probes of about 350 war incidents, with many leading to disciplinary charges. He has also sent an estimated 51 incidents to the IDF legal division to probe, with about 40 of them going directly to the legal division without needing a prior probe by him due to their severity. Of the more than 90 criminal probes, at least 50 relate to the wrongful deaths or abuse of detainees, many occurring at the Sde Teiman makeshift detention facility at the beginning of the war. Six soldiers and officers have been indicted in two separate cases of alleged abuse of detainees. Some cases involve allegations of wrongful killing in the field, while others involve either theft of Palestinian property or the illegal taking of Palestinian weapons without declaring them to the proper IDF authorities. By comparison, the fact-finding mechanisms after Operation Protective Edge in 2014 carried out about 300 preliminary reviews and 32 full criminal probes. There is now a third major probe into potential abuse of Palestinian detainees, which could eventually lead to multiple indictments, the Post can confirm. This investigation of at least three IDF reservists guarding Palestinian detainees at the Filon base in the Lower Galilee started as a secret probe months ago. It recently became a public investigation. One of the suspects, a female soldier, was already questioned under caution, and additional suspects may have also testified or are due to soon, the Post has learned. The probe, which was first reported by Yediot Aharonot, is expected to lead to additional detentions of soldiers and possibly additional indictments. The investigation is ongoing, military sources confirmed, adding that the ultimate direction of the case would be clarified in the coming months. Regarding the ongoing Sde Teiman cases, the alleged abuse of Palestinian detainees took place in July 2024, but the indictments were not filed until this February. The cases have barely advanced and are bogged down in procedural fights about whether the Military Police improperly leaked alleged footage of the defendants committing the abuse. Given the six-month gap between the case opening and the indictments, there may not be indictments in this latest case until early 2026, although it has not yet generated as much criticism from certain coalition officials. Absent that additional tension, the case might move forward faster. Regarding the IDF probe from late June into multiple incidents in which soldiers mistakenly killed or wounded Palestinian civilians in proximity to or on the way to Gaza Humanitarian Foundation facilities, there has been no publicly notable progress, the Post has learned. The IDF has confirmed about three to four incidents and dozens of casualties, while critics claim there were hundreds of victims. Moreover, there is no near-term intent to issue a comprehensive preliminary update about the probes, as was done this April and last April about multiple March 2024 and March 2025 incidents when soldiers mistakenly killed humanitarian aid workers. Some IDF sources have accused OC Southern Command Maj.-Gen. Yaniv Asor, who assumed his position in March, of blocking or slow-walking most probes, more than his predecessor, Yaron Finkelman. Asur has rejected these charges and said he does not interfere with the probes, but many issues do not reach the IDF legal division until he clears them.
