IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir made his first public comment on allegations of IDF soldiers stealing Lebanese property from villages within southern Lebanon on Monday night.
Condemning the theft 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 would 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.
Zamir: Soldiers must stop posting activities on social media
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, which is how the general story broke in the first place.
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.