An Israeli military official denied a report by the Saudi al-Hadath outlet that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir was forced to apologize to CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper after Defense Minister Israel Katz revealed that US aircraft have been taking off from Israel to strike Iran. The official said the report is incorrect and that Zamir has not spoken with Cooper since Katz's remarks.
A military official on Wednesday denied a report that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir was forced to apologize to the commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) after Defense Minister Israel Katz disclosed that American aircraft have been taking off from Israel to strike Iran.
The official said the report, published by the Saudi al-Hadath outlet, is incorrect and that Zamir has not spoken with Adm. Brad Cooper since Katz's remarks. The denial comes after earlier reports that CENTCOM was angered by Katz's disclosure, which critics said violated censorship rules — the military censor retroactively permitted publication after Katz's statement.
As The Zioneer reported at 14:35, the Saudi Al-Arabiya channel, citing an IDF source, said CENTCOM was angered and that the chief of staff was forced to apologize. The IDF at the time denied that the chief spoke with Cooper. The latest statement from a military official further distances the IDF from the report, asserting that no apology occurred.
All three reports — the initial al-Hadath report, a subsequent military source denial, and the Al-Arabiya follow-up — were published at 14:07 Jerusalem, creating a rapid back-and-forth. Katz's disclosure on Tuesday — that US fighter jets and refueling aircraft have been operating from Israeli bases against Iran — marked the first official Israeli acknowledgment of such direct operational cooperation. The controversy highlights the sensitivity of the strategic coordination between Jerusalem and Washington as regional tensions escalate.
6 developments
- DevelopingKatz's disclosure of US strikes on Iran from Israeli bases ignites censorship row, CENTCOM friction
- DevelopingIsrael Defense Minister's bureau releases transcript to rebut reports of attack on Netanyahu, Trump
- StrongCENTCOM Commander holds talks in Israel and Lebanon on Washington framework; Katz says no withdrawal without Hezbollah disarmament
- DevelopingAnalysis: IDF chief should hold first press conference to amplify personnel crisis warnings
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