Outgoing Chief Military Prosecutor Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi Arrested in Leak Investigation

More than five days after the Yemeni Field affair erupted, the Israel Police arrested Major General (res.) Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, the outgoing Chief Military Advocate General, late Sunday night — only hours after she was found safe following her mysterious disappearance.
Also arrested was Lt. Col. Matan Solomesh, who until recently served as the Chief Military Prosecutor. Both are expected to be brought today (Monday) before the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court for an extension of their detention.

Suspicion of “planned disappearance” and obstruction of investigation

Police sources said the main trigger for Tomer-Yerushalmi’s arrest was her unexplained absence of nearly a full day, during which she was unreachable and later located without her mobile phone. Investigators suspect the disappearance may have been staged as a “smoke screen” to destroy potential evidence.

One of the working theories being examined is that her phone was thrown into the sea near the Herzliya coast, where her vehicle was found abandoned on Sunday afternoon. The missing phone, believed to contain sensitive WhatsApp correspondence with senior prosecutors, is now central to the police investigation.

Arrest of Lt. Col. Solomesh: “Knew the source of the leak”

Lt. Col. Matan Solomesh was also arrested on suspicion of obstructing the investigation. According to police assessments, Solomesh allegedly knew the source of the leak of the video documenting the abuse of a Hamas detainee at the Yemeni Field camp, but failed to report it.

The probe is being conducted by a special investigative team headed by Chief Boaz Balt, the head of the Israel Police Investigations and Intelligence Division.

Timeline: disappearance, search, and discovery

Tomer-Yerushalmi’s disappearance triggered an intense search operation by police and the IDF. Her car was found abandoned in a secluded section of the Herzliya coastline, near Cliff Beach.

Before being found, fears had mounted for her life, as she had been under heavy public and political pressure following the exposure of her involvement in authorizing the release of sensitive footage from the Yemeni Field incident.

According to several reports, she left a short note for her family reading: “Don’t look back.” Alarmed relatives contacted police, who launched a large-scale search effort, assisted by the Navy, thermal drones, and tracking units.

Around 7:00 p.m., she was located alive and unharmed, after she contacted her husband using a mobile phone not belonging to her. The ownership of that phone remains unclear.

From missing person to suspect

Following her rescue, Tomer-Yerushalmi was taken for medical and psychological evaluation, then brought to a police station. Initially, she was questioned only about her disappearance, not about the leak affair. However, after investigators re-examined inconsistencies in her account, suspicions mounted that the disappearance was deliberate and intended to mislead.

Police sources confirmed that the last signal from her original phone was detected near the same location as her abandoned vehicle, before the device was manually powered off.

Now, investigators believe the “disappearance episode” may have been a deception exercise designed to conceal or destroy evidence ahead of her expected questioning.

Evidence: WhatsApp exchanges ordering leak

According to police, key evidence in the case includes WhatsApp correspondence between Tomer-Yerushalmi and an officer in the Military Advocate General’s Office, in which she allegedly instructed him to leak videos of the Yemeni Field abuse incident — specifying both the type of material and the journalist who should receive it.

These messages, investigators say, may have been stored on the missing phone, making its disappearance a potential act of obstruction.

Context: political tension and public scrutiny

The arrest of Tomer-Yerushalmi marks a dramatic turn in one of the most politically sensitive investigations in Israel’s defense establishment. The affair has already ignited fierce public debate over accountability, leaks, and political influence on the military justice system.

Both officers are expected to appear in court later today for remand hearings, where police are expected to request several additional days of detention.