Former PM military secretary takes over IDF Southern Command

After a tenure that lasted nearly three years, Maj. Gen. Sami Turgeman left his position as head of the IDF’s Southern Command in a ceremony at army headquarters in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon and Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Gadi Eisenkot named Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who previously served as military secretary to the prime minister, as the new head of the regional command.

The Southern Command includes the Negev and Arava deserts, which feature large Bedouin populations that occasionally clash with soldiers; borders with Egypt and Jordan, through which African migrants and terrorists attempt to cross; and the Gaza Strip, from which Palestinian terrorists frequently fire rockets and mortars at Israel’s southern communities. This makes it not only the largest of the regional commands, encompassing more than two-thirds of Israel’s landmass, but also one of the most demanding.

“The changing of a regional command general is an important event,” Eisenkot told those gathered in his conference room, where the event was held, “especially in these volatile and complex days.”

The defense minister and chief of staff raised a glass to toast the outgoing commander and welcome the incoming head of the command.

The two praised Turgeman’s service, especially during last summer’s Gaza conflict, and expressed confidence in Zamir’s ability to lead the command.

“I saw how you excellently prepared the command and its units for challenges, and I saw during ‘Operation Protective Edge’ you demonstrated all of your experience and performed admirably,” Ya’alon said during the ceremony.

“The fact that in the areas surrounding the Gaza Strip there is a great demand for construction — that is a great victory, and for that, Sami, you have my appreciation,” he added.

Eisenkot lauded Turgeman’s “ability to think deeply, ability to meticulously plan and ability to implement. This we saw both before ‘Protective Edge’ and during ‘Protective Edge.'”

Turgeman, who is slated to return to academia, used his goodbye party to applaud Israel’s soldiers. “The fighters and commanders of the Israel Defense Forces, in regular service and reserves — they are our essence. They carry with heroism the flag of this land, and when they are called to that flag for a mission, they can always be counted on,” he said.

For nearly three years, Zamir served as Netanyahu’s military secretary, acting as a go-between for the prime minister’s office and the army. Brig. Gen. Eliezer Toledano took over that position last month.

“Eyal already knows a lot of the things a commander goes through and he has at his fingertips the tools to succeed in this position,” Ya’alon said, using Zamir’s first name.

Zamir, who made his way through the ranks of the IDF’s Tank Corps, accepted his new position “with a heavy feeling of personal responsibility, and from an understanding of the size and complexity of the mission.”