Israeli army says Maj. Gen. Zini not dismissed, retirement finalized after his appointment as Shit Bet head

By Mohammad Sio

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Israeli army said Friday that Maj. Gen. David Zini was not dismissed from his military post, but that his retirement from the Israeli army was finalized after he was appointed the head of the Shin Bet security agency.

The followed reports by Israeli media outlets saying that Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir had removed Zini from his military post after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial decision to name him as the successor to outgoing Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.

“In light of recent publications, the IDF (army) emphasizes that MG David Zini was not dismissed from the IDF,” the army said in a statement.

It added that during a meeting held Friday morning between Zamir and Zini, “his retirement from the army was finalized following his appointment as the head of the Shin Bet.”

The Israeli daily Haaretz earlier reported that Zamir dismissed Zini from the military following Netanyahu’s decision to appoint Zini as the head of Shin Bet.