Entering role, new IDF spokesman Effie Defrin seeks to bolster trust in army
Popular outgoing spokesman Hagari says public trust ‘is most important asset’; urges ‘all parts of society’ to enlist, in comments aimed at ultra-Orthodox
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin, a former tank commander and chief of the military’s international cooperation unit, took over as the military spokesperson on Thursday afternoon, replacing Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, who served in the role for the past two years.
The switch took place at the Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson’s Unit headquarters in north Tel Aviv, at a ceremony overseen by the head of IDF Operations Directorate, Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk.
In their speeches, Hagari, Basiuk, and Defrin touted the importance of truthfulness for military spokespeople and the need to restore public trust in the IDF, especially in light of the army’s failures in the lead-up to and during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, onslaught.
“My mission, whose main purpose is clear to me beyond any doubt, is to do whatever is necessary to strengthen public trust in the IDF, trust that constitutes a significant foundation for the army’s resilience, for establishing its power, and for ensuring our future here,” Defrin said.
“Since October 7, the State of Israel has been in a just war, a war that we had no choice in, and at this time, I decided to postpone, again, personal plans and put my shoulder under the stretcher,” he said, referring to his return to the military after initially retiring last year.
“The mission that I am taking upon myself today, I will carry out, first and foremost, as the spokesperson for the soldiers, my brothers and sisters in arms, in the standing army and reserves, from the tank team, where I once was, and up to the General Staff,” Defrin said.
In comments apparently aimed at the ultra-Orthodox community, who largely do not serve in the military, Defrin said that: “We have only one army, an army for everyone, an army that is an amazing unifier among all the parts of Israeli society, an army in which, in the same squad, serving alongside each other, are a kibbutznik from the north, a settler from Samaria, and a city-dweller from the south.”
Hagari, who became a very familiar face in Israel for his frequent media briefings amid the war in Gaza and Lebanon, was more explicit with his call to draft Haredim.
“During the war, I went into combat zones many times, in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria, to present the fighting to the public up close. I saw our amazing troops and commanders in the standing army and reserves, I saw them determined and brave. I also saw them collapsing under the lead of this war, which has become long,” Hagari said.
“They must be admired… alongside that, all parts of society should go under the stretcher. We already need more soldiers in the IDF, not just in a few more years; the war is going on now,” he said.
Hagari also said that public trust “is the most important asset” of the military.
“Our mission over the past year and a half was rehabilitating public trust in the IDF” following October 7, Hagari said, while calling “to keep the army above any argument, dispute or any other attempt which poses a true danger to the trust [in the army] and its ability to realize its mission.”
Basiuk, whose Operations Directorate oversees the Spokesperson Unit, said of Hagari, “Wise, courageously and with integrity in your role as an IDF spokesman, did not only transmit information, but you built a bridge of trust between the IDF and the public and also within the IDF.”
He said the unit, under Hagari’s command, was “part of the operational planning, and you developed tailored capabilities to the battlefield, incorporating the spokespersons unit inside the IDF’s combat zones.”
Addressing Defrin, Basiuk said that he has “massive challenges further down the stubborn road of the rehabilitation of public trust in the IDF.”
“You are the right person for the job. The operational experience and deep acquaintance with the system, the ability to delve in, understand, build partnerships, and act wisely in complex situations, will help lead the unit against all the challenges,” he added.
Basiuk is set to resign from the military in the coming weeks.
Defrin, 53, began his service in the IDF in 1991 as a tank commander, serving in the 7th Armored Brigade. He was seriously wounded in the 2006 Second Lebanon War, when he was the commander of the 401st Armored Brigade’s 9th Battalion.
He later commanded the 27th Reserve Armored Brigade before its closure in 2014, and after that, he was the deputy commander of the 36th Division.
Defrin was appointed as Israel’s defense attaché to India in 2016.
In 2019 he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general and was appointed as the head of the IDF’s international cooperation unit, known as Tevel. That was his last role in the military, before retiring last year and beginning work for the Rafael defense firm.
At the request of new IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, also a former tank commander, Defrin returned to the military and to command the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, replacing Hagari, who is retiring from military service.
Hagari’s retirement is seen as a de facto dismissal, as he was not given a promotion for his work during the war. Most IDF spokespersons serve for two years in the role. Hagari entered the position in March 2023 and was expected to leave that role regardless at around this time. However, he had hoped to have been promoted to the rank of vice admiral and be appointed as Israel’s defense attaché to the United States.
Despite being a popular spokesman among the public, the political echelon, especially Defense Minister Israel Katz, clashed with Hagari. A comment he made last June saying that Hamas could not be destroyed drew a sharp retort from the office of Prime Minister’s Office. He was rebuked in December for criticizing a bill that could protect intel leakers.
Defrin is the latest in a line of career military officers to command the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, ending a previously common practice of naming civilians with a deep background in journalism or communications for the role.
Defrin has a bachelor’s degree in social sciences from Ben Gurion University and a master’s degree in defense from Hebrew University. He also graduated from the Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom. He is married and a father of four.
Times of Israel Staff contributed to this report.
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