Israel's mission against Hamas 'not accomplished': New military chief
TEL AVIV
New armed forces chief Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said during his inauguration yesterday that Israel's mission to defeat Hamas was "not accomplished.”
"I accept command of the [Israeli military] with modesty and humility... Hamas has indeed suffered a severe blow, but it has not yet been defeated. The mission is not yet accomplished," Zamir said during a ceremony at the IDF headquarters in Tel Aviv.
“The task, which I am receiving today, is clear: Lead the IDF to victory,” he said.
Addressing the families of hostages still held by Hamas, Zamir said, “Your loved ones are in front of my eyes. Our moral duty is clear: Bringing everyone back home, in any way possible and as quickly as possible.”
Speaking before Zamir at the ceremony, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told him that Israel is "determined" to achieve victory in the multi-front war that began with Hamas' attack.
"A very heavy responsibility rests on your shoulders, the results of the war will have significance for generations, we are determined to achieve... victory,” Netanyahu said.
The prime minister and the new military chief are well acquainted, as Zamir, who led key operations during the second Palestinian intifada, served as Netanyahu's military secretary from 2012 to 2015.
"I recommended you twice [in the past] ... and now a third time. Zamir's time has come,” Netanyahu said.
A former tank commander, Zamir inherited command of the Israeli military at a sensitive time in Israel's war with Hamas, with the ceasefire that took effect on Jan. 19 hanging in the balance.
At a Defense Ministry event a day after his appointment, Zamir, a father of three, was quoted as saying that 2025 would be "a year of continued fighting.”
"The war has demonstrated that we must be self-reliant," he said.
Zamir, 59, will also take over operations in the occupied West Bank, where the military has deployed tanks in recent weeks for the first time in 20 years.
Zamir replaces Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, who resigned admitting he failed to fulfil his mandate as armed forces chief.
His appointment also comes at a moment of high tension for Israel with its arch-foe Iran.
Zamir wrote in a 2022 policy paper for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy that Israel needed to adopt a tougher approach in order to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.
His position on Iran mirrors that of Netanyahu, who recently said that Israel plans to "finish the job against Iran's terror axis.”
