Live UpdateFrom the Liveblog of Monday, January 2, 2023

Former deputy IDF chief Eyal Zamir picked as Defense Ministry director-general

By Emanuel Fabian 2 January 2023, 7:30 pm 0 Edit

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

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)

New Defense Minister Yoav Gallant appoints former deputy chief of the military, Eyal Zamir, to be the director-general of the ministry.

Zamir, 57, will enter the role in the coming weeks, replacing Amir Eshel.

The retired major general was twice among the candidates to lead the Israel Defense Forces. But ultimately, the front-running candidates were selected instead.

Zamir most recently served as IDF deputy chief of staff. In 2018, he served as commander of the Southern Command, overseeing violent clashes along the Gaza border amid protests organized by the Hamas terror group.

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

“Zamir is one of the best commanders to emerge in the IDF in the last generation, his track record of service is impressive and he excelled in all his positions,” Gallant, also a former general, says in remarks published by his office.

Zamir thanks Gallant for tapping him for the role, saying: “We will work in cooperation to strengthen the power of the IDF, the defense organizations, industry, and Israeli society.”