IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi visited the Northern Command headquarters earlier today with his American counterpart, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Charles Q. Brown, Jr.
Archiv: Herzl Halevi
US Chair of Joint Chiefs of Staff in Israel for Unannounced Visit
(24.08.2024)
Brown landed in Jordan on Friday, where he told reporters he would visit Egypt as well as Israel to meet with senior military officials in each country.
Netanyahu fears international arrest warrant from ICC
A well-informed source in The Hague confirmed to Le Monde on Sunday that an „event is imminent,“ but did not specify the nature of the charges or the names of those involved.
Johnson urges Biden to intervene in ICC‘s reported plan for Netanyahu arrest warrant
Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., is calling on President Biden to utilize the U.S.‘s influence on the world stage to block the International Criminal Court‘s (ICC) reported plan to issue arrest warrants for top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israeli Officials Believe I.C.C. Is Preparing Arrest Warrants Over War
The Israeli officials did not disclose the nature of the information that led them to be concerned about potential I.C.C. action, and the court did not comment on the matter.
Arrest warrants from the court would probably be seen in much of the world as a humbling moral rebuke, particularly to Israel, which for months has faced international backlash over its conduct in Gaza, including from President Biden, who called it “over the top.”
Israel Scrambles as Netanyahu, Gallant and IDF Chief Face ICC Arrest Warrants for War Crimes in Gaza
Warrants could be issued this week against Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and army chief Herzl Halevi. Some legal experts say the attorney general and army lawyers are partly to blame for not doing enough to prevent Israeli violations of international law
Israeli Military Chief Says Lebanon War Likely in Coming Months
Lt. Gen Halevi said he believes Israel will be starting the war with more advantages than in the past, and that lessons learned in Gaza will be applied to the situation in Lebanon. Tens of thousands of troops are reportedly being readied for the new offensive.
The comments echo those of Maj. Gen. Ori Gordin, the head of northern forces, who said earlier this week that he believes the troops are “ready” for the war in Lebanon, and could start “tonight, if necessary.”
Combative security cabinet meeting on post-war Gaza uncovers coalition‘s crisis
Israel‘s War Cabinet gathered overnight on Friday to discuss the future of the Gaza Strip after the nation‘s war against Hamas ends. The meeting was reportedly cut off after lawmakers clashed with the defense establishment over the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) investigation of the mistakes leading to the October 7 tragedy that had previously been promised to start after the Israel-Hamas war.
Miri Regev, Minister of Transport and Road Safety, pointed out that the decision over the probe had been made without lawmakers‘ knowledge and argued that the army should be fully focused on the combat in the moment.
Breaking: The IDF has begun investigating the 7.10 incident. Investigation teams have been established, including former Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz, former head of Military Intelligence Zeevi Farkash, and former Southern Command chief Sami Turgeman.
(05.01.2024)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says the military is expanding operations in southern and central Gaza as it is close to dismantling all of Hamas’s battalions in the northern part of the Strip, but warns that the war will last “many more months.”
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“The Air Force continues to strike non-stop. A building falls when it is an enemy target, a building falls when it poses a danger to our forces,” Halevi says.
Israel’s Forever War: Army Chief Says Gaza Campaign Likely to Last ’Many More Months’
His comments come as Defense Minister Yoav Galant said Israel is waging a war on seven fronts.
“This is a long, tough war. It has costs, heavy costs, but its justification is the greatest there can be,” Gallant told parliament on Tuesday.
He vowed Israel would punish Hamas over its Oct. 7 attack, “whether it takes months or years.”
Netanyahu slammed for post blaming intelligence chiefs for Oct. 7 failure; apologizes
“Contrary to the false claims: Under no circumstances and at no stage was Prime Minister Netanyahu warned of Hamas’s war intentions,” read the original tweet, posted shortly after 1 a.m. local time, hours after Netanyahu held a joint press conference with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister Benny Gantz.
The tweet elaborated: “On the contrary, all the security officials, including the head of military intelligence and the head of the Shin Bet, assessed that Hamas had been deterred and was looking for a settlement. This assessment was submitted again and again to the prime minister and the cabinet by all the security forces and intelligence community, up until the outbreak of the war.”
US officials raise concerns over Israeli intelligence after Hamas attacks
(October 7, 2023)
Other US officials familiar with the matter said if the US did have intelligence suggesting an upcoming attack, it would have undoubtedly shared that information with Israel.
The Israelis historically have had dominant capabilities to monitor communications in Gaza. The Israelis also have some of the best capabilities to break into encrypted communications, US officials say.
That’s partly the reason why US officials were shocked that preparation for Saturday’s attacks weren’t detected.
Egypt intelligence official says Israel ignored repeated warnings of ‘something big’
(9 October 2023)
However, Israel was not only reportedly ignoring clear warnings from its allies.
For Palestinians in Gaza, Israel’s eyes are never very far away. Surveillance drones buzz constantly in the skies. The highly secured border is awash with security cameras and soldiers on guard. Intelligence agencies work sources and cyber capabilities to draw out information.
But Israel’s eyes appeared to have been closed in the lead-up to the surprise onslaught by the Hamas terror group, which broke through Israeli border barriers and sent hundreds of terrorists into Israel to carry out a brazen attack that killed over 700 people and wounded over 2,000.
Russia says Israel should provide evidence it didn‘t strike Gaza hospital
Russia‘s foreign ministry said on Wednesday that a strike on a hospital in Gaza that killed hundreds of Palestinians was a shocking crime, adding that Israel should provide satellite images to prove that it was not involved in the attack.
Just in Russian Foreign Ministry says Israel should provide satellite images to prove it’s not behind the strike on the Hospital.
Israel-Hamas war live: Gaza hospital attacked with thousands taking shelter
An Israeli air strike has hit al-Ahli hospital in Gaza City where thousands of civilians are seeking medical treatment and shelter from relentless attacks.
Gaza health ministry says at least 500 casualties in hospital blast. A UN-run school housing refugees also struck.
Massive data leak reveals Israeli NSO Group’s spyware used to target activists, journalists, and political leaders globally
(July 19, 2021)
NSO Group’s spyware has been used to facilitate human rights violations around the world on a massive scale, according to a major investigation into the leak of 50,000 phone numbers of potential surveillance targets. These include heads of state, activists and journalists, including Jamal Khashoggi’s family.
Armeegeheimdienstchef: „Krieg begann mit Versagen“
Er kündigte eine tiefgreifende Untersuchung der Vorfälle an. Dann werde man die Konsequenzen ziehen. „Aber im Moment haben wir nur eine Aufgabe vor Augen – zurückschlagen und im Krieg siegen!“ Er stößt damit ins gleiche Horn wie der Chef des Inlandsgeheimdienstes Shin Bet, Ronen Bar. Der hatte bereits am Montag Verantwortung für den Fehlschlag übernommen und für die Zeit nach dem Krieg eine Untersuchung angekündigt.
Israel: Chef von Militärgeheimdienst räumte Versagen ein
Der Chef des israelischen Militärgeheimdienstes, Aharon Chaliva, hat nach dem verheerenden Hamas-Terroranschlag in Israel eine persönliche Verantwortung eingeräumt. (…)
Auch der Chef des Inlandsgeheimdienstes Schin Bet, Ronen Bar, hatte gestern Versäumnisse eingeräumt.
A testimony from a young journalist in Gaza named Bisan. Please watch. This is heartbreaking and terrifying and no mainstream media outlet will report it.
We have now managed to speak to my Dad who is in the south of Gaza near Rafah. He reports the medical situation is beyond imagining. Bombing has continued even in Rafah.
There are thousands in the streets with nowhere to go. Medics can no longer reach many. 1/3
There are no facilities and no medications to treat those who can be reached. Al Shifa hospital in North is flooded with wounded people who can‘t flee. Ppl in Gaza have been told by IDF to go to Khan Younis but everything in Khan Younis has already been bombed. 2/3
A friend of ours, a nurse, stayed at Al Shifa. Her family fled to the South as they were told to do. They were struck by an airstrike in the South.
IDF chief Halevi admits military failed to prevent Hamas attack, vows to investigate
Halevi says a time will come to investigate how Hamas managed to carry out the attack.
Netanyahu Bears Responsibility for This Israel-Gaza War
The disaster that befell Israel on the holiday of Simchat Torah is the clear responsibility of one person: Benjamin Netanyahu. The prime minister, who has prided himself on his vast political experience and irreplaceable wisdom in security matters, completely failed to identify the dangers he was consciously leading Israel into when establishing a government of annexation and dispossession, when appointing Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir to key positions, while embracing a foreign policy that openly ignored the existence and rights of Palestinians.
Ministers demand answers from IDF after cabinet decides to destroy Hamas, PIJ capabilities
Ministers criticized the Chief of Staff claiming he did not find the time to brief them on Saturday. Some wondered if he had wanted to avoid their difficult questions about the failure of the military intelligence to detect the Hamas plan.“
„Every Israeli citizen wants to know how this failure was possible?“ Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis said. „Why are the Chief of Staff and Intelligence chief not here now? We need more information.“
Israel to boost Air Force power with new F-35 squadron
( SEPTEMBER 3, 2023)
The F-35 is considered crucial in the MABAM “war between wars” against Iranian proxies in Syria as well as in the event that the IDf would need to eventually strike Iran’s nuclear program.
US aid to fund third Israeli F-35 fighter squadron
(July 3, 2023)
Israel will move to acquire a third squadron of F-35A fighters, augmenting the fleet of 50 ‘Adir’ platforms currently planned to enter service with the Israeli Air Force (IAF) with a further 25 aircraft, in a multi-billion-dollar deal financed by US aid.
Ex-intel Head Warns Netanyahu Will Replace IDF Chief With ‘Yes-man’ if He Resigns
„I have heard suggestions that Herzl Halevi should resign – he should not do that, or the government would appoint an ally or ‚yes-man,’” Maj. Gen. Amos Yadlin, the former head of Aman, Israel’s military intelligence directorate, told Army Radio.
„The citizens of Israel should be praying that he stays at the helm, and he must hold on as long as his conscience is in place,” he continued.
Several top nuclear scientists said weighing resigning from atomic commission to protest overhaul
The report, which did not cite sources, stressed there was no collective action, with the scientists deciding for themselves how they will act. It added that the scientists were still deliberating the matter with each other and their predecessors, along with “heads of the scientific-military community,” but have not raised it with any superiors.
IDF says battle-readiness weeks from being impacted as reservists decamp en masse
Thousands of reservists have threatened to end their volunteer reserve duty in protest of the overhaul in recent weeks, sparking alarm from defense brass, including IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, who issued a rare video statement Tuesday calling for unity within the military.
The IDF has said that the “cohesion,” or unity of the IDF has already been harmed amid the protests against the judicial overhaul, and it will take time to fix.
IDF chief to reportedly speak with PM about reservist protests’ impact on IDF
IDF chief Herzi Halevi is expected to speak tomorrow with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the growing number of reservists suspending their volunteer service to protest the judicial overhaul and the expected impact on military readiness, according to Hebrew media reports.
Netanyahu‘s Judicial Coup – Israeli Army Heads to Defense Minister: Decline in IDF Cohesion Already Evident
In recent days an increasing number of reservists have announced that they will stop volunteering for duty due to the overhaul legislation, particularly the amendment repealing the reasonableness standard.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met Sunday with IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi and other senior IDF officers to assess the effect of the protest and the reservists’ initiatives on the military.
Dermer, Hanegbi to travel to DC for talks on Iran, Saudi-Israel peace
(May 25, 2023)
Addressing reports that Iran is building a nuclear facility deep enough underground to withstand U.S. “bunker buster” bombs, Hanegbi said at Herzliya Conference 2023 at Reichman University on Tuesday:
“It’s not a surprising thing. It’s the Iranian approach to move facilities underground to maintain their immunity. This of course limits the ability to attack, but what can be said is that there is no place that cannot be reached.”
Report: Saudis want US alliance, nuclear program in exchange for deal with Israel
(23 May 2023)
The report says that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan are leading the negotiations for the US and the head of the Mossad chief David Barnea is representing Israel in “intensive” talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.
Israeli officials set to discuss Iran and Saudi Arabia with US national security advisor: Report
Despite the tensions, Israel remains the US’s closest Middle East ally. The country receives around $3.8bn a year in military aid from Washington. Earlier this month, Axios reported that the US had asked Israel to engage in „unprecedented“ joint military planning against Iran.
Netanyahu Is Now Pyromaniac-in-chief of a Government of Arsonists
Netanyahu has made it clear to Israel that he is not only prepared to risk a constitutional crisis, but he is willing to take on the entire security establishment just so he can pass a law that allows his coalition to pick the next Supreme Court justices
Israel‘s Netanyahu fires defense minister over opposition to judicial overhaul; protests erupt
Netanyahu‘s office released a short statement saying that the prime minister „has decided, this evening, to dismiss Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.“
Gallant, a member of Netanyahu‘s ruling Likud party, said in a televised speech on Saturday that the judicial overhaul is „a clear, immediate and tangible danger to the security of the state.“
‘We must sit, talk:’ Wave of coalition members call to halt judicial reform legislation
Israel‘s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Saturday followed in the footsteps of other coalition members in calling on the government to cease the process of pushing through with the controversial judicial overhaul legislation, and urged that all parties „sit and talk“ as hundreds of thousands of protestors took to the streets nationwide.
Israeli army chief warns of curbed military ops amid absent reservists – report
(25.03.2023)
Israel’s army Chief of Staff General Herzi Halevi has reportedly warned his government that the military could possibly reduce the scope of operations due to reservists refusing to report for duty in protest of the controversial judicial overhaul.
Dozens of active-duty Israeli soldiers join protest against judicial reform
(25.03.2023)
Dozens of active-duty Israeli soldiers announced on Saturday they were joining the protest against the judicial reform by not reporting to training.
Until now, only reserve officers resorted to such measures.
Israeli Army Chief to Meet With Top Reserve Commanders Amid Reservists’ Judicial Overhaul Protests
IDF Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi will sit down with reserve air force pilots and commanders to discuss the importance of serving after reserve pilots in an elite air force unit said they would not participate in a training exercise in protest of the ongoing government’s judicial overhaul efforts
In rare move, Netanyahu to bring army chiefs to meet Putin in Moscow
(September 21, 2015)
IDF Chief-of-Staff Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eisenkot and Military Intelligence chief Maj.-Gen. Herzl Halevi will accompany Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on a lightning trip to Moscow on Monday, in a clear signal that regional arms transfers and Russia’s troop deployments in Syria will be the main focus of the discussions.
Mossad Chief Visited Doha, Urged Qatar to Continue Hamas Financial Aid
The visit came to light in an interview former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman gave Israel‘s Channel 12 News on Saturday, saying Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had sent Cohen and the Israeli military‘s chief of Southern Command Herzl Halevi to „beg the Qataris to keep funneling money into Hamas.“