Eyal Zamir has officially been promoted to the rank of lieutenant general as he assumes the role of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief of staff.
Zamir was decorated with the new rank during a handover ceremony at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv.
The event was attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz, who presented Zamir with his new rank, while his wife Orna looked on.
Zamir succeeds Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, who is resigning in the wake of the IDF’s failure to prevent Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.
Given the ongoing conflict, the IDF chose to forego formal dress uniforms for the occasion. Both Halevi and Zamir wore work uniforms, known within the military as Madei Bet.
Zamir, who previously served as deputy IDF chief of staff, now faces the task of leading the military amid ongoing security challenges.
