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

UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS, ADDS BACKGROUND

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 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.

Channel 12 also reported that Zamir summoned Zini to inquire about his private talks with Netanyahu during the appointment process.

Netanyahu’s move defied a Supreme Court ruling and Israel’s Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said that the dismissal of Ronen Bar was unlawful.

The prime minister’s office declined to say whether Zini met or spoke with Netanyahu without notifying the army chief.

Israel's public broadcaster KAN quoted the Israel army as confirming that Zamir met with Zini Friday morning.

During the meeting, Zamir decided on Zini’s retirement from military service in the coming days and thanked him for his years of combat service.

He also reiterated that “any discourse conducted by military soldiers with the political echelon must be approved by the chief of general staff.”

Tel Aviv University President Ariel Porat warned that appointing Zini as the head of the Shin Bet could spark a civil war in Israel, according to the Israeli news outlet Walla.

Porat sent a strongly worded letter to Zini, urging him to reject the nomination “in order to prevent civil war and bloodshed.”

“If this happens, your appointment will be unlawful, and the actions of the government and its leader will be criminal,” Porat wrote. “Such a scenario, God forbid, could lead to civil war and bloodshed.”

Benny Gantz, the head of the opposition National Unity party, said on X that “when a prime minister decides to go over the head of the Chief of Staff, to appoint a major general to head another security organization, after which they will have to work together – he knowingly brings about a conflict between two of our most important security bodies, the IDF (army) and the Shin Bet.”

On March 20, the government decided to dismiss Bar, with the decision set to take effect on April 10.

But the Supreme Court issued a temporary order preventing his dismissal or the announcement of a replacement until it reviewed petitions filed by the opposition against the decision.

On April 28, however, Bar announced that he would leave his post on June 15.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 53,800 Palestinians, most of them women and children.​​​​​​​

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.​​​​​​​

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.