Operations Directorate
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The Israeli Operations Directorate (Hebrew:אגף המבצעים, Agaf HaMivtza'im, abbreviated as (Hebrew:אג"ם Agam) is the operations branch in the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces. It was established in 1999, alongside the regional commands, the air force and navy. Since June 2021, it is headed by Aluf Oded Basyuk.
Tasks
The directorate has the following responsibilities:
- Preparing the IDF for war, emergencies, and day-to-day security
- Deriving an operational strategy from the national security agenda and military doctrine
- Coordinating the IDF's work with the other security forces, and drafting IDF recommendations for the political echelon
- Instructing the regional command, air force, navy, GOC Army Headquarters and other directorates, with respect to the exercise of force and its coordination
Units
- Operations Division
- Instruction, Doctrine and Evaluation Division
- IDF Spokesperson
- Special Means Division
- Department for Campaign Design
- Centre for Consciousness Operations
- Inspection and Supervision Department
- General Staff Security Department
Commanders
The list includes those who served as heads of operations prior to when it was spun off from the IDF's General Staff. The list also includes pre-IDF Haganah commander Yigael Yadin who also served in that capacity during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War. Dan Halutz, who original served as the Aide to Chief of the Operations Branch, was appointed to the head of the Operations Directorate soon after its establishment.
| Name | Term start | Term end | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yigael Yadin | November16,1947(1947-11-16) | November9,1949(1949-11-09) | |
| Mordechai Maklef | November14,1949(1949-11-14) | December7,1952(1952-12-07) | |
| Moshe Dayan | December17,1952(1952-12-17) | December6,1953(1953-12-06) | |
| Yosef Avidar | December22,1953(1953-12-22) | February15,1955(1955-02-15) | |
| Meir Amit | February23,1955(1955-02-23) | May28,1955(1955-05-28) | Later Director of Mossad |
| Haim Laskov | August28,1955(1955-08-28) | July24,1956(1956-07-24) | |
| Meir Amit | October5,1956(1956-10-05) | January26,1958(1958-01-26) | |
| Tzvi Tzur | 1958 | ||
| Meir Zorea | September10,1958(1958-09-10) | April28,1959(1959-04-28) | |
| Yitzhak Rabin | April28,1959(1959-04-28) | January23,1961(1961-01-23) | 5th Prime Minister |
| Yitzhak Rabin | January23,1961(1961-01-23) | December30,1963(1963-12-30) | |
| Haim Bar-Lev | January1,1964(1964-01-01) | April27,1966(1966-04-27) | |
| Ezer Weizman | April27,1966(1966-04-27) | December14,1969(1969-12-14) | Later President of Israel |
| David Elazar | December23,1969(1969-12-23) | January1,1972(1972-01-01) | |
| Israel Tal | January1,1972(1972-01-01) | June28,1973(1973-06-28) | |
| Rehavam Ze'evi | November2,1973(1973-11-02) | January16,1974(1974-01-16) | |
| Yitzhak Hofi | January16,1974(1974-01-16) | April16,1974(1974-04-16) | Later Director of Mossad |
| Herzl Shafir | April16,1974(1974-04-16) | March1,1976(1976-03-01) | Later Commissioner of Police |
| Yekutiel Adam | March2,1976(1976-03-02) | August25,1977(1977-08-25) | |
| Rafael Eitan | August25,1977(1977-08-25) | April7,1978(1978-04-07) | |
| Yekutiel Adam | 1978(1978) | January1982(1982-01) | |
| Moshe Levi | January1982(1982-01) | 1983(1983) | |
| David Ivry | 1983(1983) | 1985(1985) | |
| Dan Shomron | January17,1985(1985-01-17) | October1,1986(1986-10-01) | |
| Amir Drori | October1,1986(1986-10-01) | April6,1987(1987-04-06) | |
| Ehud Barak | May7,1987(1987-05-07) | March13,1991(1991-03-13) | 10th Prime Minister |
| Amnon Lipkin-Shahak | March13,1991(1991-03-13) | November29,1994(1994-11-29) | |
| Matan Vilnai | November29,1994(1994-11-29) | September15,1997(1997-09-15) | |
| Shaul Mofaz | September15,1997(1997-09-15) | June11,1998(1998-06-11) | |
| Uzi Dayan | June11,1998(1998-06-11) | June27,1999(1999-06-27) | |
| Dan Halutz | June27,1999(1999-06-27) | September15,2000(2000-09-15) | |
| Giora Eiland | September15,2000(2000-09-15) | January25,2001(2001-01-25) | |
| Dan Harel | January26,2001(2001-01-26) | 2003(2003) | |
| Israel Ziv | 2003(2003) | 2005(2005) | |
| Gadi Eizenkot | June2005(2005-06) | October12,2006(2006-10-12) | |
| Tal Russo | October12,2006(2006-10-12) | October4,2010(2010-10-04) | |
| Yaakov Ayash | October4,2010(2010-10-04) | September6,2012(2012-09-06) | |
| Yoav Har-Even | September6,2012(2012-09-06) | May26,2015(2015-05-26) | |
| Nitzan Alon | May26,2015(2015-05-26) |
Assistant Head of the Operations Branch
The list is of those who served as Assistant Head of the Operations Branch prior to establishment of the Operations Directorate in 1999.
| Name | Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tzvi Tzur | 1950–1951 | |
| Haim Ben-David | 1951–1953 | |
| Ilan Meyer | 1953–1954 | |
| Asaf Simhoni | 1954–1956 | |
| Meir Zorea | 1956 | |
| Uzi Narkiss | 1956–1957 | During Sinai War |
| Ariel Amiad | 1957–1958 | |
| Shalom Iron | 1958–1960 | |
| Israel Tal | 1961 | |
| Oded Masar | July to December 1961 | |
| Yeshayahu Gavish | 1961–1962 | |
| Elad Peled | 1962–1963 | |
| Gideon Elrom | 1963–1964 | |
| Rehavam Ze'evi | 1964–1968 | During Six-Day War |
| Yitzhak Hofi | 1968–1969 | |
| Herzl Shafir | 1969–1971 | |
| Yona Efrat | 1971–1973 | |
| Arie Levy | 1973–1974 | During Yom Kippur War |
| Mordechai Tzipori | 1974–1976 | |
| Avigdor Ben-Gal | 1976 | |
| Natan Sharoni | 1976–1978 | |
| Eitan Barak | 1978–1980 | |
| Uri Simchoni | 1980–1981 | |
| Giora Ram-Forman | 1981–1983 | During the First Lebanon War |
| Uri Sagi | 1983–1986 | |
| Amram Mitzna | 1986–1987 | |
| Giora Romm | 1987–1989 | |
| Zeev Livne | 1989–1992 | |
| Nehemiah Tamari | 1992–1993 | |
| Meir Dagan | 1993–1995 | |
| Eitan Ben Eliyahu | 1995–1996 | |
| Gabi Ashkenazi | 1996–1998 | |
| Dan Halutz | 1998–1999 | Post terminated; Halutz became head of the Operations Directorate |