War in Gaza is political, not strategic: former Israeli intel chief
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The former Israeli Chief of Military Intelligence confirmed what the Air Force reservists claimed in their letter, highlighting that Netanyahu is putting the IOF in a tough position.
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Destroyed buildings are seen inside the Gaza Strip, Occupied Palestine, January 13, 2025 (AP)
A former Israeli intelligence chief endorsed on Thursday what Israeli pilots stated in a letter condemning the resumption of the war on Gaza and accusing it of having political motives rather than strategic ones.
"Everything the pilots said in their letter is very true," Amos Yadlin, former head of Israeli military intelligence, told the Israeli Channel 12 on Thursday, confirming that the continuation of the war in Gaza has political motives rather than strategic ones, and this is putting the army in a difficult position."
The former military head added that a more effective approach would be to prioritize the safe return of all the Israeli captives before resuming military operations at "a time of our choosing."
Yadlin added that he thinks Netanyahu is placing the Israeli military in a tough position, emphasizing that the Israelis "do not want to signal to their enemy that we are divided. The responsibility does not lie with the pilots, but with the prime minister, who has once again started a judicial coup."
A letter sows chaos in 'Israel'
Earlier on Thursday, Israeli media reported that the Israeli Air Force Commander Major General Tomer Bar has decided to immediately and permanently dismiss any service members who signed a letter published Thursday morning, while the IOF emphasized that it cannot tolerate members who express a lack of trust in the military.
The letter, endorsed by approximately 1,000 signatories, includes support from both active reservists and retired air force personnel, and criticized the Israeli military's resumption of war on Gaza, claiming it is politically charged rather than strategically motivated.
The letter also addressed the government's push for judicial reforms, the dismissal of Shin Bet head Ronen Bar, and efforts to remove Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, reports indicated.
It is worth noting that Israeli media reported on Tuesday that Bar met with several reservists and veterans, including former IAF commanders, regarding their plans to issue a public letter calling for a halt to service.
In mid-March, the Israeli occupation military resumed its bombing campaign against Gaza, breaching a two-month ceasefire agreement that brought relative calm and had ensured a prisoner exchange between "Israel" and the Palestinian Resistance.
During the Israeli government’s initial effort to push through the judicial overhaul, which was suspended on October 7, 2023, hundreds of reservists, including dozens of pilots, refused to serve in protest.
They argued that the reforms undermined "Israel's" democracy and cast doubt on the legitimacy of military orders.
