Opposition leaders reacted sharply to the comments at the time, saying the Shin Bet must be loyal to the country and its people rather than any political power.\u00a0Herzog himself said in a speech Wednesday that Israel\u2019s \u201csecurity and law enforcement bodies are not loyal to any individual or political camp, but to the sovereign \u2014 the people of Israel, the laws of the State of Israel and the the values of the\u00a0Jewish and democratic state.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\tBy signing up, you agree to the terms<\/a><\/p>\n In the readout from the meeting on Thursday, Zini said that \u201cwith regard to elections, the Shin Bet is directly subordinate to the chair of the Central Elections Committee, in order to do everything in our power to preserve the statesmanlike, nonpartisan character and integrity of the elections.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Herzog added that \u201celections are not a civil war. Elections are a social, democratic and political process.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThere are many hostile foreign digital influences, and there are many elements seeking to sabotage from within, and especially from the outside,\u201d the president continued, without elaborating. he added: \u201cWe will do everything in our power, and I am confident that the Central Elections Committee and its personnel, with the backing and support of the Shin Bet, will prevent such disruptions.\u201d<\/p>\n The upcoming national election is slated to be held no later than October 27.<\/p>\n Separately, a Haaretz newspaper report on Thursday said that Zini recently asked the Justice Ministry to seek Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara\u2019s approval for an investigation into an alleged leak to Channel 12 regarding the date on which the war with Iran would begin earlier this year.<\/p>\n The newspaper, citing a security source, said the request came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and government ministers pressured Zini on the matter during a security cabinet meeting, despite the latter\u2019s assessment that approval for such an investigation would not be granted.<\/p>\n According to the Ynet news site, Transportation Minister Miri Regev pressed Zini in the meeting on why the Shin Bet was not investigating the purported leak, and Zini responded that there was no point in doing so given the circumstances, telling ministers: \u201cThe incident happened a long time ago; they asked to investigate it several months later. More than 4,500 people were privy to the secret [war plans], and there is no lead. An investigation of this kind, involving media outlets, requires the attorney general\u2019s approval, and she is not expected to grant such approval.\u201d<\/p>\n \t Hebrew media outlets reported last month that Netanyahu had asked Zini to open an investigation into the matter, following similar efforts by Defense Minister Israel Katz.<\/p>\n Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi called in early March for a probe, after Channel 14 commentator Yaakov Bardugo, a close Netanyahu ally, alleged that Channel 12 appeared unusually prepared to go on air early Saturday on February 28 \u2014 the first day of the war \u2014 with anchor Yonit Levy and commentators already \u201cin full makeup\u201d minutes after the opening strikes were carried out.<\/p>\n Channel 14 previously quoted the premier as saying the alleged leak was a \u201ccriminal leak\u201d that jeopardized the success of the operation, and Bardugo recently stated on a radio show that he met with Zini in the Shin Bet chief\u2019s office to press for the investigation.<\/p>\n The Shin Bet declined to respond to Haaretz\u2019s request for comment on the report.<\/p>\n Earlier this week, a group of IDF reservists urged police<\/a> to open a criminal probe into Channel 14, alleging that the right-wing TV network regularly shares classified material that violated censorship rules, compromising operations and endangering security forces, including about the start of the 2025 Iran war.<\/p>\n Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/p>\n \t\t\t
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\n\t\t(L-R) Shin Bet chief David Zini, Central Elections Committee chairman Noam Sohlberg and President Isaac Herzog hold a meeting at the President\u2019s Residence, July 9, 2026. (Haim Zach\/GPO)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/F250320CG004-640x400.jpg\")
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\n\t\tTelevision microphones set up prior to a press conference, March 19, 2025. (Chaim Goldberg\/FLASH90)<\/p>\n
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