Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich launched a scathing attack on Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir today, accusing him of “overstepping his authority” by criticizing Defense Minister Yisrael Katz. The public rebuke comes amidst ongoing tensions between Zamir and Katz, stemming from investigations into the failures surrounding the October 7, 2023 attack.
Smotrich, leader of the far-right Religious Zionism party, reportedly stated, “Zamir has exceeded his mandate. In a democratic state, it is forbidden for anyone in military uniform to publicly attack the political echelon.” He made these comments to the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation.
Referring to the disagreements between Zamir and Katz, Smotrich asserted that “the Chief of Staff issuing media statements and publicly attacking the minister responsible for him is unacceptable.” He further added, “Even if the Chief of Staff feels wronged, he should resolve the issue privately.” Smotrich emphasized that “democracy has rules and foundations; there are things forbidden to the Chief of Staff and permitted to the Minister, because he represents the political level.”
The tensions escalated further when Katz froze appointments to senior military positions earlier this week, following Zamir’s dismissal of senior officers “without consulting him.” These dismissals were related to the failures in preventing and responding to the October 7, 2023 attack.
Following the decision to freeze appointments, Zamir issued a strongly worded statement accusing Katz of harming national security. The events of October 7, 2023, are widely considered the greatest intelligence and military failure in Israeli history, significantly damaging Tel Aviv’s and its army’s image worldwide.
Since Zamir’s appointment in March 2025, disagreements with Katz have been frequent, particularly concerning the October 7 investigations and a round of army appointments last August that were allegedly made without prior coordination with the Minister. Last October, Katz reportedly attempted to appoint his military secretary, Guy Marquezano, as the military attaché in Washington, a move that was met with resistance from Zamir, according to local media reports.
