IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said on Tuesday he is resigning from his post at the head of the military and will leave the position in March. He said the failings of the IDF in the Oct. 7 massacre would haunt him for life.
"I informed the defense Minister on today that in recognition of my responsibility in the failures of the IDF on Oct. 7, and while the military has made significant achievements and is in the midst of carrying out the agreement to free hostages, I am asking to end my term on March 6, 2025," Halevi said in a statement.
2 View gallery IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi
2 View gallery Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayhu and Defense Minister Israel Katz in Gaza visiting troops in Gaza last year ( Photo: GPO )
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"In the remaining time I will complete the inquiries and bolster the IDF's preparedness to face the security challenges. I will transfer command of the IDF in an orderly and meticulous fashion to my replacement. I sent my letter to the prime minister and the defense minister.
Levi's resignation comes after a deal to free Israeli hostages from Hamas captivity was put into effect, which was an objective of the war, and after the Hamas military wing was defeated in Gaza and Hezbollah suffered considerable losses.
"The IDF was able to rise from its low point at the start of the war and fight forcefully for over a year and three months, on seven different fronts," Halevi said in his statement. "The military caused severe damage to the military capabilities of Hamas and created the conditions for the hostages to be returned, it dealt unprecedented plows on Hezbollah and significantly weakened Iran and its activities in the region. The IDF defends the communities on the Golan Height from inside the buffer zone in Syria and had destroyed most of the Syrian military capabilities. On the West Bank, the IDF operates effectively day and night to prevent terrorism."
Halevi said these achievements were beyond anything discussed with the government on each of the fronts. "The achievements are first and foremost of the IDF commanders and troops under my command. Fighters in regular service and in the reserves from all sectors of the Israeli public, who showed up to fight a just war, fought valiantly and defeated the enemy. The achievements came at a cost of our best warriors, the circle of bereaved families grew and may remain wounded and scarred. The IDF will forever be in their debt."
Military vehicles lead freed hostages home on Sunday ( Tomer Shunem Halevi )
The IDF chief said that not all of the objectives of the war have been reached. "The IDF will continue to fight to eliminate Hamas' ability to govern, return all of the hostages and strengthen the security conditions needed to return residents of the north and south to their homes, safely."
Immediately after the chief of staff's annuoncment, the IDF Southern Command head Maj.-Gen. Yaron Finkelstein also announced his resignation from the military.
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gubrumannaaa on January 21st, 2025 at 13:43 UTC »
Israel was going through a series of protests in response to measures undertaken by Netanyahu for curtailing judiciary's powers. This made Israel more susceptible to Oct 7 attack as the government and Intelligence to an extent got busy with internal affairs, giving Hamas a chance to attack. Responsibility lies with the current Israeli government too, but they have made their grip to power strong via Israeli response to Hamas and beyond.
Chrono978 on January 21st, 2025 at 13:37 UTC »
Just like the failing on October 6, 1973 as well. Seems like October is anti…a bad month.
DroneMaster2000 on January 21st, 2025 at 13:34 UTC »
SS: IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi said on Tuesday he is resigning from his post at the head of the military and will leave the position in March. He said the failings of the IDF in the Oct. 7 massacre would haunt him for life.
In my opinion, very well done by Halevi. He stayed just as long as the fighting was intense, and then resigned right away, taking responsibility.
If only the politicians had a shred of his honesty and would rid Israel of their failures as well, that would be great. Unfortunanly it looks like Israelis will have to be rid of them the hard way.