by Yonah Jeremy Bob
An IDF source said no theft occurred in his division involved in the Lebanon invasion, but acknowledged awareness of multiple similar incidents in other divisions.
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IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir on Monday night issued orders to individual battalion, brigade, and division commanders involved in the Lebanon invasion to file reports within one week regarding whether incidents of theft of Lebanese personal property have occurred in their specific units.
One IDF source said that the reports were due to be filed with the IDF Human Resources Command Chief Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, while another source denied that they would be sent to him, without identifying to whom they would be sent.
Yet another IDF source said that no theft had occurred in the specific division in which he served, which has participated in the Lebanon invasion, but that he understood that there have been multiple such incidents in other divisions.
The five divisions involved in the Lebanon invasion are: 91, 36, 98, 162, and 146.
Earlier on Monday night, Zamir made his first public comment on allegations of IDF soldiers stealing Lebanese property from villages they have been in within southern Lebanon.
Zamir condemns IDF theft, rejecting justification for misconduct
Condemning the theft, which was first reported around the end of last week, he said, "The incidents against our values which we have seen are the result of a long and complex period, but this does not justify them. We cannot compromise on our values."
"The phenomenon of theft, if it exists, is a disgrace and could stamp a blemish on all of the IDF," said Zamir.
"He added, "If there were incidents like this, we will probe them. We won't stand for this."
Reports last week indicated a potentially large number of incidents in which Israeli infantry stole items of Lebanese personal property from the villages that they were probing for Hezbollah weapons.
At one point, it was reported that standard IDF police checks of soldiers reentering Israel were removed, making it easier to smuggle in stolen items.
Later, it was reported that these checks were restored, but it is unclear why they were removed and how the IDF will be able to track and find who stole what, other than by reservist soldiers leaking allegations against their comrades in arms, which is how the general story broke in the first place.
In past wars, especially in Gaza, IDF soldiers have been indicted, convicted, and sentenced whenever there have been such instances of stealing.
There have been reports that in late 2024-2025, there may have been an increase in instances of theft from Gaza, with some instances reported on and caught, and others possibly missed.
Even beyond the theft allegations, virtually all commanders have acknowledged that general discipline problems in the IDF have skyrocketed, especially among reservists, due to the longest war in Israel's history, and commanders' fears of confronting reservists who have been asked to serve far beyond their standard service expectations, as the government has done little to draft the haredi sector.
Zamir also said that IDF soldiers must stop posting their activities on social media.
This was a not-so-veiled hint and threat at soldiers who recently broke a Christian icon in southern Lebanon, leading to worldwide condemnation and eventually the soldiers involved being penalized.
Yonah Jeremy Bob
Source: https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/defense-news/article-894437
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