Brig. Gen. Guy Markizeno, who currently serves as Defense Minister Israel Katz's military secretary, lost his classified military cellphone, apparently to a robbery that occurred under especially sensitive circumstances.
The device has not yet been found, and the military had to neutralize it remotely.
According to a report by Yedioth Aharonoth, the incident occurred while Yoav Gallant was serving as Defense Minister. Despite the sensitivity of the position and the classified matters the officer dealt with, Gallant was not notified that the phone was lost.
Gallant's office commented: "The former Defense Minister was unaware of the matter until the reporter contacted him, and he was not updated at any stage, not by his military secretary and not by any security official."
The IDF confirmed the incident, but claimed that it was dealt with immediately. "The officer reported it to his commanders and the relevant officials immediately, and they took all necessary steps to prevent an intelligence leak."
The military also stated that "an inquiry was conducted per the accepted procedure, and it was determined that there was no data leak." The IDF refused to answer whether disciplinary measures were taken against Brig. Gen. Markizeno.