Israeli defense minister holds security assessment as troops leave base in reported protest

JERUSALEM — Israel's Defense Ministry said Defense Minister Israel Katz held a security assessment on Thursday with the chief of staff and senior security officials, reviewing intelligence, operational updates and army readiness for multiple scenarios. At the meeting, Katz said the military was prepared to counter any threat and ready to carry out both defensive and offensive missions, according to the ministry. Separately, the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported an incident it described as an unprecedented "rifle company mutiny" within a brigade of the Israel Defense Forces, with dozens of soldiers leaving their post. The newspaper said soldiers from the Tsabar Battalion of the Givati Brigade departed their base toward the south in the afternoon, chanting provocative slogans aimed at officers. According to the report, the soldiers were protesting after battalion commanders tore down banners tied to the unit's youth traditions. The battalion commander told families the soldiers would return to base by 4 p.m. at the latest, framing the walkout as a result of social pressure rather than a breakdown in discipline.