IDF Officials Criticize Defense Minister Katz for Attempting to Replace Central Command Chief

IDF officials sharply criticized Defense Minister Israel Katz on Sunday evening after he announced in a television interview his intention to replace Central Command Chief Major General Avi Blot after only two years in the role. The officials called the decision "absurd" and accused Katz of treating the military as a branch of the Likud party. They affirmed that Major General Avi Blot would remain in his position as Central Command Chief.

In the interview aired earlier on Channel 14's "The Patriots" program, Katz explained that the conflict with Blot arose after Blot appealed to the court against the release of settler Tal Yinon Dradik, a move Katz opposed. Katz described the appeal as a wrong step taken against his position. He further stated that he planned to appoint Major General Dado Bar Kalifa as Blot's replacement, emphasizing, "My control over the system is absolute."