'Israel's Herzi Halevi expected to resign by February, reports say
3 Min Read
Israeli media reported estimations by anonymous Israeli official that Halevi would resign by the end of February.
-
Herzi Halevi, Chief of General Staff of the Israeli army, near Ben Gurion Airport, in Lydd, on March 9, 2023. (AFP)
Herzi Halevi, Chief of General Staff of the Israeli occupation forces, is expected to step down by the end of February, Anadolu Agency reported on Friday,
Israeli website Maariv cited an anonymous Israeli official as saying that Halevi is estimated to "retire from his position at the end of February, one month after the investigations into the events of 7 October 2023 are concluded."
On Thursday, Security Minister Israel Katz said investigations into the events of October 7, 2023, must be concluded by the end of January.
Katz instructed the Chief of Staff that no new generals would be appointed until the findings were presented.
In light of Katz's decision, Maariv came to the conclusion that this deadline might hasten Halevi's resignation.
According to recent negotiations among "Israel's" military and political officials, Zamir, the current director-general of the Security Ministry, is the most probable candidate to succeed Halevi.
However, both the Ministry of Security and the Israeli military rejected the allegation, stating that there is no such agreement between the Chief of Staff and the Security Minister over Halevi's resignation.
Halevi last month hinted at stepping down after the inquiry into the military's inability to respond to Operation al-Aqsa Flood is concluded.
Halevi stated that unlike in the past, the Israeli army opted to undertake rigorous debriefing sessions on October 7 while the war was ongoing. Usually, such probes are only undertaken after battles end.
While Halevi did not specify a clear date for the investigation's conclusion, the attention has shifted to the military's preparation and response with numerous Israeli military, security, and political authorities taking personal responsibility for the inability to prevent the attack.
Netanyahu has continuously refused to take personal responsibility for the incident, advocating instead for the creation of a private inquiry committee to prevent the formation of an official state commission of inquiry, according to Israel Hayom.
Earlier in November, Israel Hayom quoted senior officials from the Israeli military as saying that there has been a significant delay in presenting the findings of the investigations into the events of October 7, 2023.
They emphasized that this delay persists although many of the investigations are already completed and have been submitted to lower-level officials, with some ready to be presented to the Israeli Chief of Staff.
