Outgoing senior IDF commander slams military for not taking responsibility

In a parting speech, Maj. Gen. Nimrod Aloni, who is resigning from the military after some 34 years, slams the IDF for not taking responsibility for its failures on October 7, 2023, and beyond.

Aloni headed the IDF’s Military Colleges and the shadowy Depth Corps. Maj. Gen. Dan Goldfus is taking over the Depth Corps. Last month, Maj. Gen. Dan Noyman took over as head of the Military Colleges from Aloni.

Aloni, at a handover ceremony, says he is “leaving an army in which the concept of responsibility has been trampled and desecrated, and which has lost the confidence to put its failures on the table.”

“Two years ago, we tried to contain our enemies from south and north, thinking that time would do us good, for the economy and growth, and that we could preserve the status quo over time. We were wrong, all of us,” he says.

Aloni, in his parting speech, does not mention the fact that he commanded the Gaza Division between 2020 and 2022, a year before the October 7 onslaught.

The Depth Corps was recently reorganized to be responsible for military operations beyond Israel’s borders, especially within the so-called “second circle,” meaning Iran’s proxies in Yemen, Iraq, and other areas not directly on Israel’s borders.

At the ceremony, Goldfus says the “transformation of the Depth Corps is not the result of an organizational initiative or distant vision, but rather a matter of urgency,” amid the ongoing multifront war.

“Our enemies are learning, strengthening, and changing. The range of fire is extending, and their technological capabilities are expanding. and the threat is not dependent on their geographical proximity,” he says.

“Just this morning, another Houthi missile was launched toward the State of Israel. The distant threat is near, and it too must be confronted and defeated,” Goldfus says.

Goldfus previously headed the Northern Corps, a relatively junior and dormant role in the General Staff. Before that, he commanded the 98th Division during months of fighting in the Gaza Strip.