Eyal Zamir Appointed as Israel’s New Army Chief to Replace Halevi

Eyal Zamir was appointed Israel's chief of staff. (Photo: Ministry of Defense spokesperson, via Wikimedia Commons)

By Palestine Chronicle Staff  

Major General Eyal Zamir has been named the new Israeli army chief, replacing Herzi Halevi, who resigned over failures linked to the October 7 Hamas operation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed Major General Eyal Zamir as the new army chief, after the resignation of top general Herzi Halevi.

“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz have agreed on the appointment of Maj.-Gen. (Res.) Eyal Zamir as the next IDF Chief-of-Staff,” the premier’s office said in a statement on Saturday.

Zamir currently serves as the director general of the Defense Ministry and will assume his new role once Halevi’s resignation takes effect on March 6, the Anadolu news agency reported.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Zamir “has been deputy IDF chief, Southern Command chief, and military secretary of the prime minister, three of the most prominent positions in the IDF high command.”

This is “besides having the number one non-political role at the Defense Ministry, which has put him in control of much of Israel’s international defense relations and force buildup over the last two years.”

‘Failure Haunts Me’

Halevi stepped down last month, citing failures related to the Resistance operation of October 7, 2023.

“My responsibility for this failure haunts me day by day, hour by hour, and will remain with me for the rest of my life,” Halevi said in a televised address.

Herzi Halevi, Israeli Army Leadership Resign Citing October 7 Failure

“We failed on October 7 in defense and offense,” he reportedly added.

Halevi was referring to internal investigations by the military into the failure which are expected to be concluded by late January.

In a statement, Halevi said he notified Netanyahu and Katz that he intends to resign on March 6.

Netanyahu Flies to US

Netanyahu flew to the US on Sunday to meet with US President Donald Trump. The Israeli leader is the first foreign leader to be invited by Trump to visit the White House since his inauguration.

The prime minister told reporters that his meetings in Washington “will deal with important, critical issues facing Israel and the region.”

He described the invitation as a “testimony to the strength of the Israeli-American alliance.”

“The decisions we’ve made in the war have already changed the face of the Middle East,” he said.

“Our decisions and the courage of our soldiers have redrawn the map. But I believe that working closely with President Trump, we can redraw it even further, and for the better,” Netanyahu added.

Additionally, Netanyahu reportedly canceled a planned meeting with Mossad chief David Barnea, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and other senior negotiators, instead sending his military secretary, Roman Gofman, to inform them of the delay, reported Anadolu.

(PC, Anadolu)

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