The appointment of Brig. Gen. Guy Markizano as the IDF attaché in Washington has become another point of contention between Defense Minister Israel Katz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, according to officials familiar with the matter.
Markizano, who currently serves as Katz’s military secretary, is backed by Katz and by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Zamir opposes the appointment, as do additional senior officers on the General Staff. Katz and Netanyahu have made clear they are unwilling to consider an alternative candidate. The reason for their firm stance — possibly a negotiating position ahead of a broader round of appointments — remains unclear.
Markizano was originally selected for the Washington post under former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. It has now emerged that during the war he was involved in an unusual security incident: his classified military phone was stolen while he was at the beach, in what officials described as problematic circumstances. The device was remotely disabled, and several hours later it was found discarded and broken.
Despite the sensitive nature of his role at the time, Markizano did not inform Gallant — with whom he worked daily — about the loss, according to officials with direct knowledge of the case. Opponents of his appointment have cited the incident as an example of questionable judgment.
Gallant’s office said the former minister was unaware of the episode until asked about it by reporters and was never briefed by Markizano or by any security official.
The IDF said in a statement that “the officer immediately reported the incident to his commanders and to all relevant authorities, who took the necessary steps to prevent any information leak.” A standard investigation was conducted and concluded there was no risk of compromised information. The military declined to say whether any disciplinary measures were taken.
Government officials rejected criticism of the appointment. One senior figure said, “Why should Markizano be penalized for losing what he lost, while Military Intelligence chief Shlomi Binder, who served as head of the IDF Operations Division on October 7, receives only a command reprimand?”