TEHRAN- The resignation of Israel’s top general has underscored the acute embarrassment the regime is experiencing following its military setbacks.

Israel’s military chief of staff, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, announced on Tuesday that he has decided to step down over his role in failing to prevent the Al-Aqsa Storm, a surprise military operation carried out by Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

In a letter to war minister Israel Katz, he said the resignation would go into effect on March 6.

“On the morning of 7 October, the IDF under my command failed in its mission to protect the citizens of Israel,” Halevi said in his letter.

He is the most senior Israeli figure to resign over Israel’s failure to avert the Hamas attack during which 1,100 people were killed and about 250 others were taken captive. 

Meanwhile, the heads of the Knesset’s opposition parties demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu follow Halevi’s example and step down.

“I salute…Herzi Halevi. Now let the prime minister and his entire disastrous government take responsibility and resign,” opposition leader Yair Lapid said. 

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman echoed Lapid’s comments.

“After the resignation of the [IDF] chief of staff, I call on the prime minister and the other members of the cabinet to take responsibility and follow him home,” he said, according to Israeli media. 

Opposition chiefs urge Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to follow Herzi Halevi’s lead and step down The Democrats’ Yair Golan made a similar call. “Thank you, Herzi. Netanyahu, now it’s your turn.” 

Earlier this month, the Israel army’s Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Amir Baram notified Halevi in a letter that he would resign. 

“Under the current state of affairs, my ability to contribute as deputy chief of staff is limited, and I have no intention of serving in this position for three or four full years… Of course in the future, I am willing to fill any role required in the defense establishment,” Baram said.

According to the Times of Israel, relations between Halevi and Baram have been somewhat strained amid the Gaza war, despite denials from their offices.
Baram has been seen as a potential successor to Halevi for several years. 

Israel launched war on Gaza shortly after Hamas launched the Al-Aqsa Storm.

The Israeli army killed more than 47,000 Palestinians but it ultimately reached a ceasefire deal with Hamas a week ago which went into effect at the weekend. 

The truce agreement has highlighted Israel’s inability to defeat Hamas. Now, the resignation of Halevi appears to be a diversion, aimed at redirecting attention away from the decline of the regime in the face of growing Palestinian resistance.