Maj. Gen. Amikam Nurkin takes over as the new head of the Israeli Air Force on Thursday, replacing Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel, who has served in the position for five years.
Nurkin previously served as head of the army’s Planning Directorate. Eshel, who has served in the IDF for 40 years, will retire from the military.
Defense Minsiter Avigdor Liberman and IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot attend the changeover ceremony, lauding both men for their dedication to Israel’s security.
“Amir, thank you for 40 years of meaningful contribution to the security of the State of Israel,” Liberman says. “Nurkin, you are entering the position and will immediately have to deal with many challenges. You will need to continue to turn the long arm [of the IDF] into a much longer arm.”
Maj. Gen. Amikam Nurkin, left, replaces Maj. Gen. Amir Eshel as head of the Israeli Air Force at a ceremony in the army’s Tel Aviv headquarters on August 10, 2017. (Israel Defense Forces)
Eshel replaced Ido Nehoshtan in May 2012 and commanded the air force during the eight-day Operation Pillar of Defense campaign in Gaza in November 2012 and during the 2014 Gaza war, known in Israel as Operation Protective Edge.
“Amir, you are finishing your command of the air force after five years and three or four months. Amir, you had an impact on the air force and I would also say you influenced the General Staff and the IDF with your courageous and creative views, in the way you presented things during discussions and, mostly, in your actions,” Eisenkot says.
— Judah Ari Gross
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From the Liveblog of
Thursday, August 10, 2017
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