From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
At IDF ceremony, Netanyahu says nation wants victory and will get it
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Speaking at the IDF chief of staff handover ceremony, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that “the nation wants victory, and it is receiving, and will receive, victory.”
He promises that “all of [the hostages], we will bring home.”
Netanyahu offers his remarks at the ceremony marking the end of Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi’s tenure as IDF commander, and the beginning of Gen. Eyal Zamir’s.
General Michael E. Kurilla, head of the United States Central Command and close friend of Halevi’s, is present as well.
Netanyahu praises Halevi’s four decades as a commander in the IDF. Many of the operations he led, says Netanyahu, “will remain secret for a long time.”
“Thank you Herzi, the 23rd chief of staff, for your important role in our string of achievements after the attack of October 7,” says Netanyahu.
Halevi was in charge of Israel’s military during the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023, but also led the campaigns in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and beyond.
Netanyahu praises his leadership in the aftermath of the Hamas onslaught. “We did not break. We recovered, we defined missions for active and reserve forces, and the IDF under your command killed tens of thousands of terrorists.”
“As I promised we would,” says Netanyahu, “we changed the face of the Middle East, and the next stage will come.”
The Times of Israel Community.