Outgoing Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi will depart for the United States on Sunday night for an official visit.
During his visit from Monday to Thursday, Halevi is scheduled to hold meetings with Gen. Charles Q. Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM); and other high-ranking military officials.
The discussions will focus on strategic and operational matters of mutual interest, according to the IDF.
He will also use this opportunity to express his appreciation for the continued support, strong commitment and close personal relationships shared with his American counterparts. Additionally, Halevi aims to explore avenues for further strengthening military cooperation between the two nations.
Halevi informed Defense Minister Israel Katz on Jan. 21 that he plans to resign in March.
Halevi, who succeeded Lt. Gen. (res.) Aviv Kochavi in January 2023, said that his decision stems from his “responsibility for the IDF’s failure” during the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border massacre, in which Gazan terrorists killed some 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
“At this juncture, when the IDF has recorded significant achievements and is in the process of implementing a deal to release the hostages, I request to end my position on March 6, 2025,” Halevi wrote to Katz.
Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir has been designated to replace Halevi as the IDF chief of staff, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Katz announced on Feb. 1.
Zamir, 59, the current director general of the Defense Ministry, will be the first IDF chief to come out of the Armored Corps since David (“Dado”) Elazar in the 1970s.
Zamir previously served as deputy chief of staff (2018 to 2021), and before that, he led the Southern Command from 2015 to 2018. During that time, he helped formulate war plans focused on Hamas and contemplated scenarios in which the terrorist faction might be replaced in Gaza, though subsequent Southern Command leaders did not properly update these plans.