Herzi Halevi
Herzl "Herzi" Halevi (; born 17 December 1967) is a major general (Aluf) in the Israel Defense Forces, serving as the current Deputy Chief of Staff. He was commander of the Israeli Southern Command, chief of the Military Intelligence Directorate, commander of the 91st Division, commander of the Paratroopers Brigade and commander of the Sayeret Matkal. Halevi is the first Orthodox Jew to serve as head of Israeli military intelligence. Personal life. Halevi was born in Jerusalem in 1967 and was named for an uncle who died in the Six-Day War several months before his birth. Halevi's  mother's family lived in Jerusalem for 14 generations, while his father's parents emigrated from Russia. Halevi has four children. Military service. Halevi was drafted into the IDF in 1985. He volunteered as a paratrooper in the Paratroopers Brigade. He served as a soldier and a squad leader. In 1987 he became an infantry officer after completing Officer Candidate School and return to the Paratroopers Brigade as a platoon leader. Halevi led the Brigade's Anti-tank company in counter-guerrilla operations in South Lebanon. Afterwards he was assigned to Sayeret Matkal, the IDF's special forces unit, where  he served as a company commander. Halevi later commanded Sayeret Matkal, during the Second Intifada. His next command was the Menashe Regional Brigade. During Operation Cast Lead Halevi commanded the 35th Paratroopers Brigade. He later commanded the 91st Division. In September 2014 he was appointed as the chief of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate. Halevi visited the United States for the second time since being named major general in March 2015. On 6 June 2018, Halevi became the commander of Israel's Southern Command, overseeing IDF activity around the Gaza Strip. In November 2019 Halevi commanded IDF's Southern Command  forces in Operation Black Belt, when it fought against the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), following the targeted killing of senior PIJ commander Baha Abu al-Ata in Gaza. On July 11, 2021, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff. Awards and decorations. Herzi Halevi was awarded two campaign ribbons for his service during two wars.