Riots at army bases harm Israel’s security, says IDF

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported that the recent rioting by right-wing mobs at the Sde Teiman base in southern Israel and the Beit Lid base in central Israel has significantly harmed Israel’s security.

These disruptions come at a critical time as the IDF was reportedly preparing for a potential operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Critical military discussions disrupted

Over the past day, the IDF’s preparations have been hindered by the rioting. Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and other top IDF officers had to halt critical discussions on northern Israel’s issue to address the security breaches at the Israeli bases.

Halevi personally visited the Beit Lid base last evening to assess the situation following the disturbances.

In response, several IDF battalions from the West Bank and others who were on vacation have been dispatched to Beit Lid, with additional battalions expected to arrive today.

Riots triggered by reservists’ detention

The unrest began after Israeli Military Police officers detained nine Israeli reservist soldiers at Sde Teiman on suspicion of abusing a Palestinian detainee several weeks ago at a detention facility on the base.

Following the detentions, approximately 1,200 right-wing protesters, including several ultranationalist lawmakers, stormed the Sde Teiman base in protest.

The situation escalated when dozens of protesters later infiltrated the Beit Lid base, where the reservists were being questioned, leading to clashes with soldiers.

Despite the severity of the situation, there have been no reports of arrests by police.

Israel’s Immigration Minister Ofir Sofer of the Religious Zionism party comes out against the far-right mobs who broke into a military base.

“There is zero legitimacy to what happened at the IDF bases yesterday,” Sofer tells Israeli Army Radio. “And there need to be arrests.”

“This needs to be a lesson as to how careful we need to be at a time like this, how things can get out of control,” he said, adding that politicians need to take responsibility.

‘Operational discussions on north stopped’

The IDF emphasized the incidents caused a major operational disruption.

“Operational discussions on the northern arena were stopped because the bases, infiltrations, and forces were diverted from their primary duties,” the IDF stated.

“This is a serious harm to the security of the state,” IDF stated.

In light of the riots, the IDF decided to cancel non-urgent hearings at the military courts in Beit Lid to minimize the civilian presence and potential further disruptions.

Horrific conditions at Sde Teiman base confirmed

Adding to the controversy, Israeli sources have confirmed reports by CNN and The New York Times detailing horrific conditions at the Sde Teiman base.

These reports include allegations of electric shocks, amputations because of poor conditions, severe beatings, surgeries without anesthesia, playing loud music until inmates’ ears bled, deaths from unsanitary conditions, systematic torture and sexual abuse.

Sources within the Israeli Justice Department indicate that the evidence is overwhelming and suggests an open-and-shut case for international courts.

“This is a horror that will never be forgotten, a permanent stain on the state of Israel,” an official allegedly commented.