IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir on Monday night rejected claims made by Defense Minister Israel Katz regarding the investigation of Brig.-Gen. (res.) Oron Solomon, calling them “false and entirely baseless.”
Solomon, who led an internal probe into the Southern Command’s failures during the Hamas attack on October 7, was recently summoned for questioning by military authorities.
Earlier on Monday, Katz said he had ordered Solomon to meet with him “as soon as possible” to present the findings of the investigation, which he has yet to formally submit. Katz implied that the officer was being targeted due to critical conclusions he had drawn about the IDF’s senior leadership.
“There must be no impression that Military Police investigations are being used as a tool to silence internal criticism within the IDF – criticism that is so vital in order to bring the full details to the attention of the families and the public, and to enable the IDF to learn the necessary lessons,” Katz said in a statement.
Zamir fires back
Responding directly to Katz, Chief of Staff Zamir issued a rare public response.
“The Chief of Staff does not take instructions through media statements,” Zamir said. “The claim that the officer is being investigated due to his role in the October 7 inquiries is false and entirely baseless. The officer was summoned for questioning due to suspicions of serious information security violations. The investigation will continue to be conducted professionally and objectively.”
Zamir added that he stands behind the IDF’s legal and law enforcement bodies, which he said are acting according to protocol and legal standards.
Solomon, a senior reserve officer, was authorized to conduct an internal review of the IDF Southern Command following the October 7 Hamas massacre, which left over 1,200 Israelis dead and more than 240 taken hostage. His findings, which reportedly include criticism of top commanders, have not yet been released to the public.
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