Israeli army chief chief Halevi plans to step down in late-December

Photo: Israeli PM Netanyahu, Defense Minister Gallant and IDF chief of staff Herzl Halevi. Credit: Kobi Gideon, GPO.

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi is making preparations to resign in late December, Channel 12 reports, citing conversations Halevi has been having with those around him.

By then, the IDF is set to have completed all of its internal investigations into the failures surrounding Hamas’s October 7 invasion and slaughter in Israel. He will thus be able to sign off on those probes, and present them to the public before stepping aside, the report says.

By then, too, the IDF is expected to have completed all its preparations for a potential all-out war in Lebanon — preparations that Halevi is overseeing.

“Once those two major immense issues are dealt with, he may feel more comfortable about stepping down,” the report says.

It adds, however, that if a significant campaign against Hezbollah erupts in the interim, Halevi may stay on to see it through, so as not to hand over to a younger and less experienced army chief in mid-war.

Halevi succeeded Aviv Kohavi as IDF chief in January 2023. IDF chiefs usually serve for three years, with many serving a fourth year.

Halevi has several times acknowledged full responsibility for failing to thwart the Hamas massacre. In his first public statement after the onslaught, on October 12, he said, “The IDF is responsible for the security of the country and its citizens, and on Saturday morning in the area surrounding the Gaza Strip, we did not handle it.”

In May, at a Memorial Day ceremony, he said, “As the commander of the Israel Defense Forces during the war, I bear responsibility for the fact that the IDF failed in its mission to protect the citizens of the State of Israel on October 7. I feel its weight on my shoulders every day, and in my heart, I fully understand its meaning.”

Tims of Israel