From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, November 18, 2025
Yesh Atid announces that retired general Noam Tibon, known for October 7 rescue, will join party
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Maj. Gen. (res.) Noam Tibon is joining Yesh Atid, the centrist party led by Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, the faction announces, calling him a “hero of Israel.”
Like Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former premier Naftali Bennett, Tibon served in the IDF’s elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit. He later rose through the ranks, eventually commanding the army’s Northern Corps. He also has a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University.
Tibon is well-known in Israel for mounting a mission during the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack to rescue his son, Haaretz journalist Amir Tibon, his daughter-in-law and their two young children from their home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz while it was under attack. An award-winning documentary was later made about that rescue. He is a prominent critic of the government and has been a vocal advocate for the hostages held in Gaza.
Tibon’s entrance into politics is welcomed by fellow former general Yair Golan, the chairman of the left-wing Democrats party.
“We are at a critical time for the future of the state and will need everyone who can join the campaign,” Golan posts on X.
Lapid and Tibon are scheduled to hold a joint press conference in Tel Aviv this evening at 7:15 p.m.
The Times of Israel Community.