Right-Wing Activist Ordered to Pay Former IDF Spokesperson Damages for Defamation

The ruling stems from social media posts published by Buzaglo in January 2025, during the war. In these posts, Buzaglo called Benayahu "filth" and accused him of informing on an IDF soldier who was under investigation in Brazil. A court in Brazil had ordered an investigation into the soldier on suspicion of actions during the fighting in Gaza.

Buzaglo's posts were a reaction to an earlier publication by Benayahu, who had criticized a decline in IDF discipline. Benayahu had shared a photo of two uniformed soldiers wearing "Messiah" arm patches who had allegedly attacked Brigadier General (Res.) Shlomo Cohen at a football stadium after Cohen reprimanded them.

The court rejected Buzaglo's defense that the lawsuit was a strategic attempt to silence him, with the judge stating that Buzaglo's actions could stifle free discourse. The court found that Buzaglo's claims were defamatory, made in bad faith, and harmed national security during wartime. Benayahu stated that he filed the lawsuit after Buzaglo refused to apologize.