Yom Kippur War hero who lost his son in Lebanon: "Senior defense officials resigned - and only one is not to blame for anything"

Maj. Gen. (res.) Emanuel Sakal, a recipient of the Medal of Valor from the Yom Kippur War, gave an interview comparing the October 2023 failure to that of 1973. Sakal called for the immediate establishment of a state commission of inquiry, outlined four necessary steps after the elections, and claimed that senior defense officials have resigned except for one person who is not taking responsibility.

Maj. Gen. (res.) Emanuel Sakal, a recipient of the Medal of Valor from the Yom Kippur War who lost his son Yoav in combat in Lebanon, was interviewed on the program "In the Middle of the Day" on Kan News. In the interview, Sakal compared the failure of October 2023 to that of October 1973 and called for the immediate establishment of a state commission of inquiry. Sakal recounted the opening moments of the war in 1973 and said that the feeling that "this shouldn't have happened" repeated itself on October 7. He expressed fear of a "destruction of the Third Temple" and made it clear that he would not leave the country. Sakal outlined four steps: establishing a state commission of inquiry, addressing Haredi draft evasion, ending the war at the Supreme Court and the Attorney General's office, and healing the rift among the people. When asked about responsibility, he noted that senior defense officials have resigned and added: "Only one is not resigning, only one is not to blame for anything" – a clear hint at the Prime Minister. However, he praised the current Chief of Staff and said he is doing his job just fine.

Yom Kippur War hero who lost his son in Lebanon: "Senior defense officials resigned - and only one is not to blame for anything"