It is the height of hypocrisy for Opposition Leader Yair Lapid to demand that newly appointed Defense Minister Yisrael Katz issue 7,000 enlistment orders to Charedim, warning that failure to do so would label Katz “the minister of evasion” rather than a true defense minister.

The Shocking Truth Emerges

In an extraordinary investigation that shakes the foundation of political integrity in Israel, former Prime Minister Yair Lapid’s military service accounts have been exposed as a maze of contradictions and apparent fabrications. The evidence is not merely compelling—it’s overwhelming.

Two Irreconcilable Stories: Which Lapid Should We Believe?

Version 1: The Air Defense Story

In 1995, Lapid painted a simple picture in Maariv: “In my basic training in the air defense, on Palmahim Beach I was taught how to disassemble and assemble an M-16, to load a magazine, and to shoot to the center of the target.”

When questioned about his service in 2017, he doubled down: “I was recruited into the Air Defense Corps and toward the end of basic training, I suffered an asthma attack and was sent to Sheba Tel-HaShomer Medical Centre. There, unfortunately, my military profile was lowered to 45 and I was told I would not be able to continue in combat service.”

This version finds strong corroboration. Social activist Eeki Elner’s devastating 2018 tweet confirms: “We were in the same tent at first in Air Defense Corps basic training, February 1982… Very soon, he managed to find a way to move to Bamahane.” Even more tellingly, Elner added: “I remember very well from basic training his attacks of ‘I have to get out of here.'”

Version 2: The Incredible Lebanon War Tale

But then, astonishingly, Lapid spun an entirely different narrative in his 2010 book “Memories After My Death”—a tale so dramatic it belongs in an action movie:

“The early days of the Lebanon War were nerve-wracking,” Lapid writes. “Yair went into the war together with the Armored Corp’s Brigade 500 and for a whole week we heard nothing from him.”

The Impossible Stories: Military Experts Demolish Lapid’s Claims

The Miraculous Jeep Escape

Lapid’s account of narrowly escaping death when two officers died in a jeep explosion crumbles under scrutiny. Colonel (res.) Ami Even, who was actually there, demolishes the story:

“Absolutely not… When they crossed the line, they were three: the logistics officer and his deputy, and the quartermaster. Two of them were killed and the third managed to escape and return to our lines.”

Even more damning, Even reveals: “The two officers who were killed were found by the extraction force that went in on foot. They were found out of the jeep and it’s possible that they weren’t in it when they were hit.”

The Physics-Defying Smoke Grenades

In a 2005 interview, Lapid claimed: “When you land helicopters, you throw smoke grenades at cross-angles to create an X shape out of the smoke, and the helicopter lands in the middle. The thrower was likely some frustrated baseball pitcher and threw it across the whole court and it hit me.”

Colonel Itzik’s response is devastating: “There is no such thing as throwing smoke grenades at cross-angles. Unless Lapid has supernatural powers that enable him to control the winds the description he provides is not possible because it is contrary to the laws of physics.”

A cargo helicopter pilot’s reaction? “Absolutely not! No chance! That’s nonsense. Smoke grenades don’t create an X shape. It’s completely dependent on the direction of the wind.”

The Damning Truth About His Bamahane Transfer

Perhaps the most revealing evidence comes from a former Bamahane administrator, who exposes how Lapid really got his position:

“One day we received a telephone from the bureau of the head of the IDF Manpower Directorate… The general’s secretary told me that in an hour a new soldier by the name of Yair Lapid would arrive and that we were to take him as a correspondent… ‘Don’t ask questions just take him in. Find him something to do and don’t touch him.'”

The Staggering Hypocrisy

In a twist of breathtaking irony, when MK Jacob Perry faced questions about his military service, Lapid righteously proclaimed: “Jacob Perry’s decision to resign reflects the values of Yesh Atid and the public norms it has established.” Yet Lapid maintains a deafening silence about his own contradictory accounts.

The Military Community Speaks Out

The veterans of Division 500 have no memory of Lapid’s alleged heroics. Danny Savorai, deputy commander of the 430th battalion, states bluntly: “It’s the first time I’ve heard about this. I have never heard previously that he served with us.”

A Crisis of Truth

The evidence is overwhelming. Not a single military veteran corroborates Lapid’s Lebanon War story. Multiple experts have systematically dismantled his accounts. The documented evidence shows he began in Air Defense, tried to escape service, and was then mysteriously transferred to Bamahane through high-level intervention.

The question now isn’t whether Lapid’s stories are inconsistent—it’s why a former Prime Minister of Israel would create such elaborate fictions about his military service, and why he believes he shouldn’t be held to the same standards he applies to others.

The Israeli public deserves better than carefully constructed myths. They deserve the truth about Lapid’s military service—especially from someone who demanded resignation from others for similar deceptions.