IDF Officers Dismissed Over WhatsApp Group

An officer in an elite IDF unit has been dismissed, it was revealed Wednesday, due to membership in a WhatsApp group which slandered one of the unit's commanders. 

IDF Radio reported that the officer, as well as another soldier in the unit, have been discharged after being named as members of the offending group - even though neither of them actually slandered the commander. 

The decision to dismiss the officer was made by the Chief Infantry andParatroopers' Officer, Brigadier General Itai Virov. The officers submitted an appeal to Ground Forces Commander, Major General Guy Tzur, who decided to leave the decision unchanged. 

"The officers acted inappropriately while blatantly trampling IDF values," the IDF said in a statement Wednesday. 

WhatsApp has continued to draw ire in the IDF, after officials banned soldiers from using the popular messaging app during operations, citing security risks. Smartphones, in general, have been an ongoing issue for the army; in February, several IAF pilots were reprimanded after they stored sensitive maps and flight plans on their smartphones.