Retired Israeli Air Force Colonel Disputes 'NAZA' Film's Claims on Civilian Casualties

A retired senior officer of the Israeli Air Force has publicly challenged a central assertion made in the documentary film "NAZA" (also known as "Collateral Damage"). The colonel, identified only as 'A.', stated in an interview with Ynet that the film's claim of the IDF approving an airstrike with an anticipated 500 civilian casualties is "not consistent with reality." He asserted that during his extensive service, which involved planning and executing thousands of strikes in Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Syria, and Yemen, he never encountered or approved an operation with such a high expected civilian death toll.

Colonel A. detailed the rigorous process for approving airstrikes, emphasizing that targets are vetted by intelligence to confirm they are terrorists. He stated that any uncertainty leads to the cancellation of an attack. The final approval typically rests with a colonel or higher-ranking officer, with pilots only becoming involved in the later stages. Before an attack, reconnaissance assets verify the situation around the target, and pilots must consider factors like weather and identification accuracy, with the authority to abort or modify the strike if conditions change.

He acknowledged that the risk to civilians in airstrikes is inherent and "horrible on a human level." However, he believes the film's casualty figures might exaggerate the scale of specific incidents. While not denying civilian deaths occur, he expressed a desire for zero casualties in every operation, calling war "hell." He rejected the idea of ceasing military operations, citing the threat to Israeli soldiers and civilians from rocket attacks.

The retired officer expressed no personal animosity towards the filmmakers, recognizing the importance of journalistic investigation and public debate in a democracy. He indicated that if he met the directors, he would ask them what they would do in his position. His comments come amid ongoing controversy surrounding the film, which the IDF has previously and unequivocally denied, stating that no such strike was ever planned, approved, or carried out and that target selection decisions are made by humans, not AI.