On April 8, 2024, a week after the targeted killing in Damascus of Maj Gen. Mohammad Reza Zahedi, aka Hassan Mahdavi, the commander of Iran’s Quds Force for Syria and Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces command understood that Tehran would retaliate by launching hundreds of ballistic missiles, and drones and cruise missiles, toward Israel.
When this alarming intelligence reached then-IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, his immediate response was to pick up the telephone. “Erik,” he said into the receiver, “I need your help.”
Erik is the middle name of Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, who until Friday led the U.S. Central Command. While subordinates address him as “General,” colleagues privately call him “the Gorilla,” a nickname earned through his imposing physical presence and four decades of combat experience. Only his closest friends use “Erik.”
Three days following that crucial conversation, Kurilla arrived in Tel Aviv and participated in the General Staff Forum meeting at the Kirya IDF headquarters, where organizers positioned a chair for him at the head table alongside Halevi.
Together, these two generals orchestrated the brilliant international defense operation that almost entirely neutralized what history would record as “Iran‘s first missile night.”
That operation allowed Kurilla and Israel to harvest the benefits of extensive military and political groundwork, with Kurilla serving as the central coordinator.
Outside observers noted that the IDF appeared to have two chiefs of staff—an assessment that proved remarkably accurate.
Israel anchored at umbrella’s center
Through unwavering determination and exceptional interpersonal abilities, this American general successfully mobilized military chiefs of staff across Middle Eastern nations to construct cooperative frameworks that generated regional power beneath an American protective umbrella.
He consistently positioned Israel at this umbrella’s center, directly alongside him, insisting that Israeli representatives attend every meeting and participate in all briefings.
The historical record of the Oct. 7, 2023, war will reserve a distinguished place for 59-year-old Kurilla. Born in California, raised in Minnesota, and graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1988, he served in Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan before, then a lieutenant colonel leading a battalion, being shot three times in Mosul in 2005 and continuing to fire back at insurgents. His was appointed CENTCOM commander in April 2022.
The battle-hardened Kurilla and Halevi developed an unusually close friendship, sustained through dozens of visits by the American general to Israel, predominantly during wartime.
This personal bond between the generals translated into exceptional operational coordination, demonstrated during the first and second Iranian missile nights, the audacious IDF special forces’ “Operation Many Ways” targeting the Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center chemical facility near Masyaf on Sept. 8, 2024, and notably this June’s Israeli strikes on Iran.
This represents merely a partial accounting. Kurilla’s wartime role extended beyond military functions to encompass diplomatic advocacy for Israel.
As someone answering directly to the president according to American governmental structure, Kurilla understood how to influence President Joe Biden whenever Israel required assistance.
Consequently, Kurilla emerged as the pivotal figure who moderated the Biden administration’s resistance to IDF operations in Rafah and the Lebanon campaign—two critical war milestones.
Where Israel’s political leadership and the American administration struggled to coordinate, Kurilla provided the essential bridge. Without his intervention, Israel’s strategic position would appear entirely different.
Retirement from the military
Halevi bequeathed this intimate relationship framework with Kurilla to his successor, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir.
Reasonable assumptions suggest that Zamir also leveraged his connections with the CENTCOM commander during the persuasion campaign that encouraged President Donald Trump to authorize bombing of Iranian nuclear installations on the operation’s final day. This historic achievement represented the culmination of Kurilla’s CENTCOM leadership.
On Friday, Kurilla’s farewell ceremony was held in Tampa, Fla., marking his military retirement and transition to quality time with wife, Paige, and their two daughters.
Zamir had coordinated an American work visit to coincide with this event, but was compelled to cancel plans after the Israeli Security Cabinet decided to greatly expand the IDF’s actions in Gaza.
Kurilla’s replacement is his former deputy, Adm. Brad Cooper, who inherits a perfectly functioning regional cooperation mechanism within CENTCOM. Cooper brings extensive Israeli visitation experience and has been responsible for strengthening and expanding maritime collaboration between CENTCOM and the IDF.
While the diplomatic Cooper lacks “gorilla” qualities, hopes remain that he will adequately fill his predecessor’s role, particularly concerning special IDF relationships. This represents a paramount security interest, making a good relationship with Cooper vital for Zamir.
Connecting at eye level
Certainly, Kurilla’s commitment to supporting Israel during the war served CENTCOM interests in confronting Iran and its regional proxies while establishing American dominance throughout the Middle East. Ultimately, he remained an American general, not an IDF officer.
Nevertheless, Kurilla’s inexhaustible dedication to preserving Israeli security stemmed in part from personal connections established with senior IDF leadership and emotions stirred during his numerous visits.
The Tel Aviv hotel where he regularly stayed recently housed evacuees from Kiryat Shmona near Lebanon. Kurilla made it his practice to sit with them, inquire about their welfare and offer encouragement.
Throughout his Israeli tours, he visited dozens of IDF units, not merely to understand their capabilities, but to engage officers and soldiers at eye level. “He genuinely cared,” observed someone who accompanied him during several visits.
Definitive evidence of his Israeli connection emerged during his farewell tour, when Kurilla arrived in the country on Aug. 1 for his 40th visit. For the first time, he visited Jerusalem’s Western Wall, appearing entirely comfortable in civilian clothing and sunglasses, standing head and shoulders above Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich.
“My mother always told me that for my support of Israel—God will repay me,” he said.
Originally published by Israel Hayom.
