Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz picked a retired army general now serving in the Defense Ministry to become the next chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces.

Maj. Gen. Eyal Zamir will take over in March following the resignation of Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the current IDF chief of staff. The prime minister’s office announced his appointment as Israel’s senior military commander in a brief statement over the weekend.

Gen. Halevi has been the chief of staff since 2022. He is stepping down after taking responsibility for the military’s security failures on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants launched a rampage from the Gaza Strip that resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 civilians, including dozens of American citizens. More than 250 people were taken hostage in the attack.

Gen. Zamir held several prominent positions in the IDF over the years, including deputy chief of staff, commander of Southern Command and military secretary to the prime minister. He currently serves as director general of Israel’s defense ministry, a nonpolitical job that puts him at the center of much of Israel’s international defense relations and force buildup, according to the Jerusalem Post.

On Sunday, Gen. Halevi offered his congratulations and said the transfer of authority would be handled professionally, according to Israeli media reports.

• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.