Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Monday criticized Prime Minister Naftali Bennett for revealing a secret operation by the foreign intelligence agency (Mossad) to gather information on the fate of Israeli pilot Ron Arad, missing in southern Lebanon 35 years ago.
During a conference organized by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Gantz said, "If it were up to me, I would not have worked to expose this operation," explaining that the operation was completely secret.
He said he had validated the details of the process, attended the preliminary discussions, and was "of course familiar with the entire implementation process".
Gantz evaded clarifying whether Bennett only informed Foreign Minister Yair Lapid of his intention to reveal the Mossad operation, saying only, "I don't go into too interesting stories to write a headline for the media, I only look at what is important to Israel."
He added that what is important for Israel "is that the prime minister and defense minister work together to preserve its security."
On October 4, during the opening of the winter session of the Knesset (Parliament), Bennett revealed that the Mossad had launched an operation to find out the fate of the missing Israeli pilot in southern Lebanon since 1986.
He added that Mossad operatives last month launched an operation aimed at finding new information about the fate and whereabouts of Ron Arad, and said that the operation was complex and extensive.
Arad's traces were lost after his Israeli Air Force plane crashed in Lebanon in 1986, while carrying out raids in the region. Since then, Israel has been conducting extensive searches for him, but it has not known his fate, and it is widely believed in Israel that he is not alive.