Israel Denies Apologising to US Over Operational Secrets in Iran Attack
A senior Israeli military official has strongly denied reports by Saudi Arabian media outlet Al-Hadath claiming diplomatic and military tension between Israel and the United States. The reports had suggested that IDF Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, was forced to apologise to his American counterparts.
The issue erupted after Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz made controversial statements indicating that US fighter jets took off from Israeli territory to conduct strikes on Iran. Katz’s remarks were perceived by some as exposing sensitive operational secrets.
The Israeli military official asserted that information regarding an apology conversation between the IDF Chief of Staff and the Commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) is false. According to the source, Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir has not even established communication with Admiral Brad Cooper of the US side since Katz’s statement was made the previous day.
“The report about a conversation between the Chief of Staff and the CENTCOM Commander is not true,” the official stated, dismissing claims that the military relationship between the two countries has been disrupted by the incident.
Earlier, in an interview with right-wing news channel Channel 14, Defence Minister Israel Katz stated that Iran was already aware of US military activity in Israel. “They (Iran) know that American planes took off from here and refuelling planes took off from here to carry out the attack,” Katz said in the interview.
A report from Al-Hadath, citing anonymous military sources, claimed that CENTCOM was furious over the statement, considering it an exposure of operational details that should have remained secret. The media outlet also reported that Israel had raised its alert level following the disclosure of the information, a claim now being questioned by the IDF.
To date, coordination between the Israeli military and the United States is reported to be proceeding along routine channels, although explicit public statements regarding the use of Israeli air bases in US operations against Iran are rarely made by senior officials.