{"id":149300,"date":"2025-11-23T21:33:12","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T21:33:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/149300\/"},"modified":"2025-11-23T21:33:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-23T21:33:12","slug":"idf-chief-officially-dimisses-oct-7s-heads-of-intel-operations-southern-command","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/149300\/","title":{"rendered":"IDF chief officially dimisses Oct. 7’s heads of intel, operations, Southern Command"},"content":{"rendered":"

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Sunday evening announced that he was dismissing several senior officers and censuring others over their roles in the failures of October 7, 2023.<\/p>\n

Zamir summoned the top officers for meetings earlier in the day, after vowing this month to make \u201cpersonal decisions\u201d regarding the commanders based on the findings of a probe conducted by an external panel of experts<\/a>. Lower-ranking officers were summoned by Deputy IDF Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai.<\/p>\n

Most of the commanders who were being dismissed from the military had already resigned from the IDF, making Zamir\u2019s moves largely symbolic. The censured officers will continue to serve in their roles until the end of their tenures, in some cases expected to last several more years.<\/p>\n

In a video statement, Zamir said: \u201cIt is not easy to make decisions that impact people I value and who have dedicated their lives to the security of the state, people with whom I have fought for decades. Alongside this, before my eyes stands the obligation to draw a clear line for command responsibility. This is not a responsibility we choose to take upon ourselves, but one we bear by virtue of being commanders in the IDF,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we do not sharpen the meaning of responsibility, trust in the system will erode, and that trust is the foundation of our ability to fight, to win, and to defend the State of Israel,\u201d Zamir said.<\/p>\n

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Zamir said that the commanders who were dismissed or censured \u201care among our finest commanders.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of them have dedicated most of their lives to the IDF and the State of Israel. The vast majority of them have had a direct part in the operational successes the IDF has achieved over the past two years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Among those sanctioned, former Military Intelligence Directorate chief Maj. Gen. (res.) Aharon Haliva \u2014 who announced his resignation<\/a> in April 2024, before being replaced<\/a> in August that year \u2014 will be dismissed from reserve duty and no longer serve in the IDF.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tThen-commander of the IDF Military Intelligence Aharon Haliva at a conference of the Gazit Institute in Tel Aviv, November 4, 2022. (Gideon Markowicz\/Flash90)<\/p>\n

Former Operations Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk \u2014 who resigned<\/a> from the military after the end of his tenure in July<\/a> \u2014 will be dismissed from reserve duty and no longer serve in the IDF.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tMaj. Gen. Oded Basiuk, chief of the IDF Operations Directorate, attends a Defense and Foreign Affairs Committee meeting at the Knesset, July 18, 2023. (Yonatan Sindel\/ Flash90\/File)<\/p>\n

Former Southern Command chief Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman \u2014 who announced his resignation<\/a> in January, before being replaced<\/a> in March \u2014 will be dismissed from reserve duty and no longer serve in the IDF.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tThen-chief of the IDF Southern Command, Maj. Gen. Yaron Finkelman (center) meets with officers in central Gaza, April 26, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)<\/p>\n

Current Intelligence Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder<\/a>, who on October 7 served as chief of the Operations Division, was formally censured, but will continue to serve in the role until the end of his four-year tenure in 2028 \u2014 after which, he will resign from the military, at his request.<\/p>\n

Current Israeli Air Force chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar will be censured over the force\u2019s failure to defend against Hamas\u2019s drones and paragliders on October 7. He will, however, continue to serve in the role until the end of his tenure, in April 2026.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tL-R: Intelligence Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder, IAF chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and Operations Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk, during an assessment on June 13, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)<\/p>\n

Israeli Navy chief Vice Adm. David Sa\u2019ar Salama will be censured over the Navy\u2019s failure to defend against Hamas\u2019s seaborne attack<\/a> on October 7. He will continue to serve in the role until the end of his tenure in the coming months.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tIDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir (right) is seen alongside Navy Chief Vice Adm. David Sa\u2019ar Salama on an Israeli Navy corvette at the Haifa naval base, March 25, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)<\/p>\n

Brig. Gen. \u201cGimmel,\u201d who headed the Military Intelligence Directorate\u2019s Operational Division on October 7 \u2014 and has since moved to another role \u2014 will be ousted from the IDF.<\/p>\n

Former signals intelligence Unit 8200 commander Brig. Gen. (res.) Yossi Sariel \u2014 who announced his resignation<\/a> in September 2024 and was replaced shortly thereafter \u2014 will be dismissed from reserve duty and no longer serve in the IDF.<\/p>\n

Former Gaza Division commander Brig. Gen. (res.) Avi Rosenfeld \u2014 who announced his resignation<\/a> in June 2024, before being replaced in September<\/a> that year \u2014 will be dismissed from reserve duty and no longer serve in the IDF.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tBrig. Gen. Avi Rosenfeld, the commander of the Gaza Division, during a handover ceremony in August 2022. (Israel Defense Forces)<\/p>\n

Former Southern Command intelligence chief Col. (res.) Ariel Lubovski \u2014 who was dismissed<\/a> from his role in March 2024 for having an illicit, but consensual, relationship with a subordinate officer, before being assigned as the IDF\u2019s representative in the National Cyber \u200b\u200bDirectorate, a position he served in for months \u2014 will be dismissed from reserve duty and no longer serve in the IDF.<\/p>\n

Col. (res.) Haim Cohen<\/a>, the commander of the Gaza Division\u2019s Northern Brigade during October 7 \u2014 who announced his resignation <\/a>in March, before being replaced<\/a> in April \u2014 will be dismissed from reserve duty and no longer serve in the IDF.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tCommander of the Gaza Division\u2019s Northern Brigade, Col. Haim Cohen, is seen during a handover ceremony, April 16, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces\/File)<\/p>\n

Lt. Col. \u201cAlef,\u201d the intelligence officer of the Gaza Division during and ahead of October 7 \u2014 who moved to another role in the Military Intelligence Directorate in early 2025 \u2014 will be ousted from the IDF.<\/p>\n

Zamir also ruled that there was no issue with promoting three senior officers: Brig. Gen. Eliad Moati, Brig. Gen. Manor Yanai, and Col. Ephraim Avni, after Defense Minister Israel Katz decided to hold up<\/a> their planned appointments, due to their supposed involvement in the failures of October 7.<\/p>\n

Moati is a former commander of the Border Defense Corps, a unit responsible for the IDF\u2019s surveillance soldiers, but he only entered the role a week before the massacre. Yanai is chief of staff at Southern Command, but his role is largely administrative. Avni was operations chief at Southern Command on October 7.<\/p>\n

Notably, one prominent officer was not summoned on Sunday by Zamir \u2014 Maj. Gen. Eliezer Toledano<\/a>, who was the head of Southern Command until July 2023, and before that was the commander of the Gaza Division.<\/p>\n

Most of the officers met with Zamir in person to receive his decision. Haliva and Sariel did not due\u00a0to scheduling issues.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tIDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir speaks in a video statement, November 23, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)<\/p>\n

Speaking on Sunday evening, Zamir said the IDF was \u201ccommitted to a thorough, professional, and in-depth inquiry of everything that occurred on that terrible day.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOut of this commitment, I carried out a series of steps to advance the matter, including the establishment of an independent review team to examine the inquiries and their quality,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy conclusions present an unequivocal picture: The IDF failed in its principal mission on October 7 \u2014 to protect the citizens of the State of Israel,\u201d Zamir continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a severe, resounding, and systemic failure that relates to decisions and conduct before and during the event. The lessons of that day are many and important, and they must serve as our compass for the future, toward which I intend to lead the army,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAccordingly, I decided, after careful consideration, to take personal decisions regarding certain officials who served on October 7. This decision is complex and derives from my responsibility to balance systemic and command considerations with the needs of the IDF in a volatile period with threats on all fronts,\u201d Zamir said.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tL-R: Intelligence Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Shlomi Binder, Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai, Assistant to the Chief of Staff Col. Alon Laniado, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, and Operations Directorate chief Maj. Gen. Oded Basiuk, during an assessment at the IDF\u2019s underground command center, June 24, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)<\/p>\n

\u201cI will continue to lead the IDF in the light of truth, and out of responsibility and devotion to the mission,\u201d Zamir added.<\/p>\n

The IDF\u2019s initial October 7 investigations were led by former chief of staff Herzi Halevi.<\/p>\n

In one of his first decisions upon entering the chief of staff role in March, Zamir appointed an external panel to examine those probes.<\/p>\n

\t\"\"<\/a>
\n\t\tIDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir lays a wreath during a ceremony at the Nahal Oz base, marking the Hebrew anniversary of the October 7 onslaught, October 16, 2025. (Israel Defense Forces)<\/p>\n

After the panel of former senior military officers determined last week that most of the military\u2019s top-tier investigations into its failures were either inadequate or unacceptable, Zamir said that while the military was fully responsible for the failures on October 7, to reach full conclusions, an \u201cexternal\u201d commission of inquiry must be established.<\/p>\n

Zamir notably avoided calling for a state commission of inquiry, which the government opposes, despite surveys consistently showing an overwhelming majority of the public supports it.<\/p>\n

Last week, the government voted to launch its own self-mandated inquiry, which critics claim will look to whitewash the government\u2019s responsibility, arguing that those who were in power on October 7 should not control the committee that investigates the attack.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir on Sunday evening announced that he was dismissing several senior…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":149301,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":{"0":"post-149300","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-headlines","8":"tag-headlines","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-top-news","11":"tag-top-stories","12":"tag-topnews","13":"tag-topstories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149300"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149300\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/149301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}