Gadi Eisenkot Accused of Rewriting History on 2018 Syria Retaliation

Former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot is facing accusations of misrepresenting his actions following the downing of an Israeli aircraft by Syria in 2018. Speaking at a "Yedioth Ahronoth" conference, Eisenkot claimed that after the incident, he personally decided on retaliatory strikes in Syria, only for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to later halt them. He suggested this was an attempt to break free from a perceived moderate image.

However, a military source cited by Ynet presented a different account shortly after Eisenkot's remarks. According to this source, strikes on Syrian targets were immediately carried out as per a pre-prepared plan following the aircraft's downing. Netanyahu was promptly updated and reportedly approved the strikes.

Furthermore, the military source stated that when the possibility of further retaliation arose, it was Eisenkot and the General Staff who recommended against additional strikes, pending further assessment. Eisenkot reportedly said, "It's behind us," and then-Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman accepted this recommendation.

The article argues that if the military source's version is accurate, Netanyahu did not stop a chief of staff eager for further action. Instead, it was Eisenkot and the General Staff who advised caution and recommended against further attacks. The author contends that while a cautious chief of staff is not inherently wrong, anyone seeking public trust today must stand by their real-time decisions.

The piece concludes that Eisenkot is entitled to argue his past policies were correct or that his caution was justified. However, it criticizes his apparent attempt to present a completely different picture retrospectively, suggesting this effort to shed a moderate image leads to inaccuracies, "to put it mildly."