Eyal Zamir named next IDF chief, set to take over from Herzi Halevi in March

Halevi ending term early over Oct. 7 failures; former general to leave post as Defense Ministry director general to become 24th chief of staff, first from Armored Corps

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

Outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (left) and incoming chief and Defense Ministry Director General Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir, in an undated photo. (Israel Defense Forces)
Outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (left) and incoming chief and Defense Ministry Director General Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir, in an undated photo. (Israel Defense Forces)

Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir, the Defense Ministry director general, was tapped by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz on Saturday to become the next chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces.

A brief statement from the Prime Minister’s Office announced the nomination of Zamir.

He is to take up the post on March 6, becoming the IDF’s 24th chief of staff, following the resignation of Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi.

Halevi announced his departure last month after only two years in the role rather than the traditional four. He had long been expected to step down once the war in Gaza began winding down over the military failures that enabled the disaster of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack to occur.

Zamir, 59, had been considered the frontrunner candidate to replace Halevi. Two other candidates named by Katz last week were Maj. Gen. Amir Baram, the current IDF deputy chief of staff, and Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai, the former Ground Forces chief.

All three were interviewed by the defense minister, with Zamir ultimately being chosen.

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

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.

Halevi congratulated Zamir for being chosen.

“I have known Eyal for many years, and I am sure that he will lead the IDF forward in the face of the expected challenges and wish him great success,” Halevi said in a statement Saturday.

“In the coming weeks, we will complete a professional and high-quality handover,” he added.

Deputy chief Baram, who is set to step down from his role at the end of this month, also congratulated Zamir. “I do not doubt that he will carry out his tasks excellently, while demonstrating combat and strategic leadership, which is necessary in light of the current challenges,” he said.

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

It was not immediately known who would become Zamir’s deputy.

Zamir, once he enters the role, will be responsible for appointing numerous commanders, both because appointments of senior officers have been on hold, and because several top generals are expected to resign over October 7, following in Halevi’s footsteps.

First Armored Corps IDF chief

Zamir was considered twice to lead the IDF previously, in 2018 and 2022. Ultimately, however, Lt. Gen. (res.) Aviv Kohavi and Halevi were selected instead, respectively.

Born in Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat, Zamir will be the first military chief in Israel’s history to have started his service in the Armored Corps.

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

Zamir joined the military in 1984. After completing the tank officer’s training course, he rose through the ranks and went on to command the 7th Armored Brigade in 2003 and the 36th Armored Division in 2009.

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

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

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seen with outgoing military secretary to the prime minister, Major General Eyal Zamir, at the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, on September 8, 2015. (Haim Zach / GPO)

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

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

It is not yet known who will be replacing Zamir at the Defense Ministry when he puts his military uniform back on.

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