Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
IDF Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth watches as Palestinians pass through the Qalandiya checkpoint on their way to attend Ramadan prayers at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque, February 20, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)
Defense Minister Israel Katz’s office claims that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir had already recommended a successor for Central Command chief Maj. Gen. Avi Bluth months ago, after he announced his intention to appoint a new officer to the role on live television this evening.
The statement says that at the end of April, Zamir recommended IDF Personnel Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa as the next Central Command chief, “and also asked him to interview him for the position.”
“The defense minister held a personal interview with Bar Kalifa during June, was impressed that he was the most suitable candidate to command the Central Command, and has now decided to announce that he has accepted the chief of staff’s recommendation and that the appointment is expected to be made in the next round of appointments,” Katz’s office says.
IDF Personnel Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa speaks with new Haredi soldiers at the Tel Hashomer base, May 3, 2026. (Israel Defense Forces)
The statement adds that “the defense minister’s policy is to promote in the IDF commanders with a proven record of aggressiveness and success” in the war.
The IDF said earlier that Zamir has no intention of replacing Bluth currently, and that Katz does not have the authority to do so.
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