Israeli war minister orders media blackout in the army

The Israeli newspaper Haaretz revealed today that Israel Katz, Israel’s War Minister, has recently issued an order imposing a media blackout within the Israeli military.

According to the report, Katz instructed Avihai Deferin, the army spokesperson, to halt all interviews and journalist sessions with senior commanders and military officers.

Katz emphasized that army commanders and officers are not allowed to speak to journalists on any topics or sessions without his approval — a directive that, according to news outlets, goes against a longstanding military practice.

Under this new guideline, only the army spokesperson is authorized to speak with journalists without additional approval.

Military sources stated that the order was issued about a month ago, following Katz’s anger at media statements quoting some senior commanders that downplayed achievements in the Gaza conflict. Since then, interviews with journalists have been suspended.

According to these sources, Katz’s media blackout order is expected to lead to a serious decline in public trust in the Israeli army.