Netanyahu thanks outgoing IDF chief of staff for 40 years of military service
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent.

Outgoing IDF chief Aviv Kohavi (left) meets with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on January 15, 2023. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with outgoing military chief Aviv Kohavi ahead of tomorrow’s handover ceremony.
A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office says the pair discussed the Israel Defense Forces under Kohavi’s tenure, from “operations, personnel and force buildup.”
“The two discussed the main challenges facing the IDF in the future,” the PMO says.
Netanyahu thanks Kohavi for his over 40 years of military service and for “his significant contribution to the security of the country,” the statement adds.
Tomorrow Herzi Halevi will be replacing Kohavi as the IDF’s top soldier. The handover, originally set for January 17, was moved up a day.