IDF commander of one of Israel’s most elite units writes letter after Israeli media outlets publish information of Sayeret Matkal’s secret activities, including fatal training accidents & past assassinations.
The commander of the Israel Defense Forces’ secretive and elite Sayeret Matkal (General Staff Reconnaissance Unit) has posted a message asking all former members of the unit to stop sharing classified information with the press. Lt. Col. G. asked the former commandos to “return to a policy of discretion regarding the unit’s confidential operations and keep the unit away from the media.”
IDF training exercises – Photo- IDF Spokesperson’s Unit
“In the past years, and even more so recently, we have witnessed increased exposure of our unit’s activities in the media,” Lt. Col. G. wrote in the message posted on the Walla website.
Referring to Channel 2’s “Uvda,” G. said, “Operational information was declassified [by the government’s censor] that contravenes the unit’s need for secrecy. After the program was broadcast, numerous veterans from the unit called in, feeling that the boundaries [of confidentiality] had been breached. … The facts publicized caused direct harm to the security of the state and the personal safety of the active-duty and reserve fighters in the unit.”
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit released a statement regarding the event: “In light of the recent unauthorized publications about Sayeret Matkal, commanders in active duty and the reserves have drafted a charter for reservists’ for speaking to the press, prohibiting them from leaking information that may harm classified operations.”
View original Israel Hayom publication at: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=6607
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