The IDF announced the promotion of five generals to senior roles on Thursday, despite opposition from some lawmakers who argue that the military should not make such changes during the ongoing war with Hamas.

The appointments, made by Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, include the next head of intelligence, Brig. Gen. Shlomi Binder, who will replace Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, who resigned last month over his role in the October 7 failures.

Other appointments include Brig. Gen. Avi Blot as the next chief of the Central Command, Brig. Gen. Dan Goldfus as the head of the Northern Corps and Multi-Domain Joint Maneuver Array, Brig. Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa as head of the Personnel Directorate, and Brig. Gen. Aviad Dagan as the next head of the Computer Service Directorate.

Critics argue that Halevi, who has been accused of failing to prevent the October 7 attack, should not be appointing new commanders, and that senior officers should not be promoted until the military finishes probing its failures.

Lawmakers from the right, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, have spoken out against the appointments, with Ben Gvir calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to fire Gallant.

The IDF has defended the appointments, stating that the nominated officers are “commanders who stood out in combat in the field and at headquarters” and will be promoted to the rank of major general in the coming months.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)