Sara Netanyahu Attacks IDF Chief Zamir: "I Told My Husband Not to Appoint Him"

Tensions between the family of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the military leadership have escalated, with a report from Israel’s Channel 12 News revealing that the Prime Minister's wife, Sara Netanyahu, has sharply criticized IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.

According to a "first publication" report by journalist Yaron Avraham on Wednesday evening, Sara Netanyahu said in a private conversation in recent days, "I knew Eyal Zamir wouldn't withstand the media pressure. I told my husband it was forbidden to appoint him."

This direct attack from the Prime Minister's wife comes just two days after her son, Yair Netanyahu, accused the Chief of Staff of planning a "military coup" in a social media post.

The public criticisms from the Prime Minister's inner circle point to a significant rift with the IDF's top commander. This is not the first time Mrs. Netanyahu has voiced her disapproval of the Chief of Staff's performance. In May, Channel 12 reported that she told Likud party officials, "Did you see the Chief of Staff? Did you hear what he said? He is prioritizing the return of the hostages over the defeat of Hamas."

She added that Zamir's positions reflected "the messages of Kaplan," a reference to Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv, the epicenter of the mass anti-government protest movement.

In his own recent online attack, Yair Netanyahu also claimed that Defense Minister Yisrael Katz had insisted on appointing Zamir, despite his father, the Prime Minister, preferring a different candidate for the role.