Israel's defense chief breached military censorship rules, army radio says

JERUSALEM — Israel's Army Radio reported that Defense Minister Israel Katz violated military censorship rules by disclosing that U.S. warplanes had taken off from bases inside Israel to carry out strikes against Iranian targets. According to the report, the information had been under a publication ban for the past several weeks. The Military Censor's Office lifted the ban after Katz made the disclosure publicly, the radio said. Under Israeli law, the authority to release classified information of this kind rests with the prime minister and the head of the Military Censor's Office, and the defense minister does not hold the power to declassify it. The broadcast described the disclosure as a clear breach of military censorship rules. At the press conference in question, Katz said American fighter jets and refueling tankers had taken off from Israel for the strikes on Iran, according to the report. No further details were immediately available on any inquiry or consequences stemming from the disclosure.