Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his main electoral rival, former IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz, exchanged mutual recriminations on Wednesday about the premier’s decision to claim credit for attacks on Iranian targets in Syria.
Netanyahu confirmed that Israel attacked Syria on Monday, before he boarded a plane to Warsaw on Tuesday for a US-Polish-sponsored conference.
He said Israel acts every day – “including yesterday” – against Iran and its efforts to entrench itself in Syria and the region. Foreign reports on Monday said Israeli tank shells struck two Iranian targets in southwestern Syria.
“There is one act that must be completely forbidden: harming the code of military secrecy and blabbing about the IDF’s secret operations,” Gantz said at an Israel Resilience event. “This could endanger IDF soldiers. Using our security holy of holies for a political campaign is crossing a redline and must stop immediately.”
The Likud responded that “Gantz is the last one who can scold, after he admitted that he has endangered Golani Brigade soldiers for the Palestinians.” The party was referring to statements about the IDF’s efforts to prevent harm to Palestinian civilians during conflict.