Smoke rises near the historic Beaufort Castle following Israeli bombings on the village of Yohmor, in southern Lebanon, as seen from Marjayoun, May 6, 2026. (credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — Israeli army Chief of Staff, Eyal Zamir, is reportedly preparing to deploy polling stations in Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza to allow Israeli soldiers stationed there to vote in Israel's legislative elections on Oct. 27, according to an exclusive report by Efi Triger, a senior anchor at Israeli Army Radio.
The Israeli army currently occupies more than 60 villages in southern Lebanon, where it continues to carry out daily demolitions of infrastructure. It also occupies more than half of the Gaza Strip, as well as a "buffer zone" in southern Syria beyond the occupied Golan Heights.
According to the report, the decision — described as the first of its kind in decades — followed a meeting of the General Staff convened by Zamir to discuss preparations for the elections. At the conclusion of the meeting, he reportedly issued a directive outlining a series of instructions for the army ahead of the elections.
In addition to establishing polling stations, Zamir also instructed, among other things, that "all letters, commander’s briefs, and speeches by Israeli commanders be subject to oversight and monitoring to ensure there are no irregular statements during the sensitive election period."
He also emphasized the need to prevent the army from being used for political propaganda and to enforce the ban on political activity by military personnel.
According to the radio station, the Israeli army declined to comment on the report.
The reported plan to set up polling stations would suggest that Israel expects to maintain a prolonged military presence in the territories it currently occupies. Israeli officials have repeatedly stated that they do not intend to withdraw from what they describe as "buffer zones" in Lebanon, Gaza or Syria.
Lebanon and Israel reached a framework agreement in late June that provides for an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon in exchange for Hezbollah's disarmament through a gradual process. Direct negotiations are currently underway in Rome to continue the discussions on the "pilot zones," the first phase of which was launched last month.
