After Halevi’s resignation, Katz names 3 generals as candidates for next IDF chief

Major generals Amir Baram, Eyal Zamir, Tamir Yadai to be interviewed by defense minister starting next week

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Official portraits of (L-R) Maj. Gen. Amir Baram, Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir, and Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai. (Israel Defense Forces)
Official portraits of (L-R) Maj. Gen. Amir Baram, Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir, and Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai. (Israel Defense Forces)

After Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi announced his resignation, Defense Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday notified three senior Israeli generals that they were candidates to be the next commander of the military.

Halevi on Tuesday said he would leave the IDF on March 6 over his responsibility for the failures that led to the Hamas terror group’s October 7, 2023, onslaught.

In a statement, Katz said he would begin to interview the three candidates starting on Sunday.

The candidates were named by Katz as Maj. Gen. Amir Baram, the current IDF deputy chief of staff; Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir, the Defense Ministry director general; and Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai, the former Ground Forces chief.

Katz said he intended to carry out “an orderly and quick procedure to allow the chief of staff to be appointed to prepare as soon as possible for the many security challenges facing the State of Israel at this time.

“As I announced, I intend to choose the best and most suitable candidate to lead the IDF in this challenging period,” the defense minister added.

Defense Minister Israel Katz visits an IDF position in south Lebanon on December 22, 2024. (Ariel Hermoni/Defense Ministry)

When Halevi leaves the military, he would have served as IDF chief of staff for just over two years. The position is normally a three-year post, though it can be extended by one, or in one rare occasion, two years. Most army chiefs serve for four.

The timeline of the chief of the staff race will be expedited, in light of Halevi’s resignation in six weeks. Normally the process takes some three months.

By law, candidates for IDF chief of staff, as well as other senior positions such as police commissioner and Bank of Israel governor, must be vetted by the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee. After that, a nominee is confirmed in a cabinet vote.

The candidates

Zamir is thought to be the frontrunner candidate. His name has been brought up several times in media reports since the start of the war as a potential successor to Halevi.

He was considered twice to lead the IDF, in 2018 and 2022. Ultimately, however, the front-running candidates Aviv Kohavi and Halevi respectively were selected instead.

Zamir started his service in the Armored Corps. After completing the tank officer’s training course, Zamir rose through the ranks and went on to command the 7th Armored Brigade in 2003 and the 36th Division in 2009.

Defense Ministry Director General Eyal Zamir speaks at the 2023 Herzliya Conference, May 22, 2023. (Gilad Kavalerchik)

Between 2012 and 2015, Zamir was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military secretary.

After leaving the premier’s service, he was appointed as commander of the IDF Southern Command, overseeing the military response to protests organized by the Hamas terror group along the  Gaza border, which turned violent.

Between 2018 and 2021, he served as deputy chief of staff, his final role in the army before heading to the United States to become a visiting research fellow at the Washington Institute think tank.

In 2023, he was appointed as director general of the Defense Ministry, where he currently serves.

Eyal Zamir during a ceremony in Tel Aviv, July 11, 2021. (Flash90)

Halevi’s deputy, Baram, earlier this month asked to end his role at the end of February as initially scheduled. Baram indicated in his letter that he seeks to replace Halevi.

Baram began his service in the Paratroopers Brigade. He rose through the ranks and went on to command the brigade in 2011, and the 98th Division — an elite formation of paratroopers and commando units — in 2013.

Between 2019 and 2022, Baram served as head of the IDF Northern Command, before being appointed as deputy chief of staff under Kohavi and later Halevi.

IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Amir Baram, January 6, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)

Yadai began his service in the Golani Brigade. He rose through the ranks and went on to command the brigade in 2005, including during the Second Lebanon War.

In 2009 he was appointed as head of the 80th Edom Regional Division and between 2013 and 2015 served as the commander of the West Bank division.

Between 2017 and 2020, Yadai served as head of the Home Front Command, including during the outbreak of COVID-19.

He was then appointed to head the IDF Central Command, though he only served in the role for less than a year and was moved to head the IDF Ground Forces.

Chief of the IDF Ground Forces, Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai, attends an Israel Hayom security conference in Jerusalem, December 1, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Yadai served as chief of the Ground Forces until December 2024. During his tenure, he was responsible for IDF ground troops amid the ongoing war which began on October 7, 2023.

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