Who is Eyal Zamir, Israeli army chief, who reportedly clashed with Netanyahu over Iran?

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is said to have clashed with his Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir over a proposed military operation that is likely to trigger confrontation with Iran ahead of Israel elections.

According to TV network, Channel 12, Zamir resisted carrying out the military action and ought further deliberations, as well as signed documentation from Netanyahu regarding legal authorization of the military operation. However, no details of the confrontation or what exactly happened between the two was provided by the network.

The Israeli military chief was reportedly concerned that the political leadership could exploit tensions with Iran for electoral gains before the Oct. 27 parliamentary vote.

Later, in an interview to Channel 14, Netanyahu denied any dispute with Zamir.

But who is Eyal Zamir, who reportedly clashed with his PM?

Prior to becoming the army chief, Eyal Zamir was a Major-General and director-general of the Defence Ministry.

Zamir took over from Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, who announced his resignation in January this year, after reports emerged into military’s failings during the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023.

Israel’s highest-ranking officer, Zamir has a longstanding relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Zamir was picked for the role by both Defence Minister Israel Katz and Netanyahu. He was considered for the position twice in the past but lost out to Herzi Halevi and his predecessor, Aviv Kohavi.

Before being appointed as the army chief, Zamir was Netanyahu’s military secretary from 2012 to 2015, then leader of Israel’s southern command for the next three years.

In 2021, Zamir left the military and Israel, departed to the United States and worked as a visiting research fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy think tank. However, he returned to Israel in 2023 and was appointed director-general of the Defence Ministry.