Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz has nominated Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi as the country’s next army chief, his office said on Sunday.
The nomination of Halevi, who serves as deputy to outgoing Chief of General Staff Aviv Kohavi, will be discussed by an advisory committee in the coming days before the government gives its approval, Gantz’s office said.
Halevi is due to take up his new position in February next year, the Defense Ministry said, after Kohavi’s term ends.
Gantz considered Halevi “the most suitable officer” for the position due to his “extensive operational experience in a variety of theaters of operation” and his “commanding abilities and attitude to various military issues, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
He served as commander of Sayeret Matkal for three years from 2001 and then continued to climb the ranks, becoming head of military intelligence in 2014 and head of the southern command in 2018, the army said.
Halevi has degrees in philosophy and business management from the Hebrew University and a master’s in resource management from Washington’s National Defense University, according to the army website.
Married with four children, Halevi lives in Kfar Haoranim, a community that is partially a settlement in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid welcomed the decision to nominate Halevi, whom he called “a worthy and natural choice.”
“I am certain that he will lead the army to many significant achievements,” Lapid said in a statement, AFP reported.
