Tel Aviv, Israel – The Israeli newspaper Maariv launched a scathing and unprecedented attack on the Israeli army chief of staff, Eyal Zamir. It accused him of selling “fanciful stories” to the Israeli public and prioritizing political appeasement over the deteriorating situation on the northern front.
In an analytical report published Thursday, the newspaper deemed Zamir’s recent statements regarding “freedom of action” in Lebanon outrageous. It also suggested that these statements reflect his desire to avoid a confrontation with the political leadership of the right-wing government.
AliExpress drones defeat Israeli technology
Maariv strongly criticized the Chief of Staff’s remarks about the army’s successes in “eliminating threats.” It pointed out that reality confirms Israel’s loss of air superiority in southern Lebanon.
The newspaper revealed that Hezbollah has succeeded in achieving a battlefield advantage using inexpensive drones purchased from e-commerce platforms like AliExpress and Amazon. It added sarcastically that the Israeli army’s logistics division was forced to buy “its entire stock of fishing nets and football goals” in a rudimentary attempt to protect its forces from these drones.
The report stated: “While Zamir speaks of intensifying strikes, Hezbollah shot down two sophisticated drones worth millions of dollars, attempted to shoot down an attack helicopter, and wounded eight soldiers in drone attacks.”
The newspaper explained that the approval to eliminate a tactical operative in Beirut’s southern suburbs came only after weeks of hesitation. This renders the term “freedom of action” meaningless.
The absence of “red lines” and the disintegration of principles
The newspaper demanded that the Chief of Staff address the public transparently and answer fundamental questions: “What are the red lines regarding Iran? What assets cannot be allowed to be possessed by Tehran today or a decade from now? And what is the true extent of Hamas’s rebuilding of its strength in Gaza?”
It considered the General Staff’s silence on these issues to be “complicity” aimed solely at appeasing the political leadership.
Maariv also highlighted the moral and disciplinary decline within the army. It cited the incident of a soldier desecrating a statue of the Virgin Mary in the Lebanese village of Dibil, describing him as a “stupid soldier.”
The newspaper argued that these actions reflect Zamir’s failure to rein in what it called “militias” that have begun to infiltrate key positions within the army. It asserted that “the spirit of the Israeli army has become like that of the government parties, and there is no one in the General Staff standing up for traditional military principles.” This sharp media attack also reflects the widening gap between the military establishment and Israeli public opinion as the war continues.
