Operations Directorate

Operations Directorate
אגף המבצעים
Active	1999–present
Country	Israel
Allegiance	Israel Defense Forces
Commanders
Current commander	Aluf Oded Basyuk
Insignia
Flag

The Israeli Operations Directorate (Hebrew : אגף המבצעים, Agaf HaMivtza'im, abbreviated as (Hebrew : אג"םAgam) 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	November 16, 1947 (1947-11-16)	November 9, 1949 (1949-11-09)
Mordechai Maklef	November 14, 1949 (1949-11-14)	December 7, 1952 (1952-12-07)
Moshe Dayan	December 17, 1952 (1952-12-17)	December 6, 1953 (1953-12-06)
Yosef Avidar	December 22, 1953 (1953-12-22)	February 15, 1955 (1955-02-15)
Meir Amit	February 23, 1955 (1955-02-23)	May 28, 1955 (1955-05-28)	Later Director of Mossad
Haim Laskov	August 28, 1955 (1955-08-28)	July 24, 1956 (1956-07-24)
Meir Amit	October 5, 1956 (1956-10-05)	January 26, 1958 (1958-01-26)
Tzvi Tzur	1958
Meir Zorea	September 10, 1958 (1958-09-10)	April 28, 1959 (1959-04-28)
Yitzhak Rabin	April 28, 1959 (1959-04-28)	January 23, 1961 (1961-01-23)	5th Prime Minister
Yitzhak Rabin	January 23, 1961 (1961-01-23)	December 30, 1963 (1963-12-30)
Haim Bar-Lev	January 1, 1964 (1964-01-01)	April 27, 1966 (1966-04-27)
Ezer Weizman	April 27, 1966 (1966-04-27)	December 14, 1969 (1969-12-14)	Later President of Israel
David Elazar	December 23, 1969 (1969-12-23)	January 1, 1972 (1972-01-01)
Israel Tal	January 1, 1972 (1972-01-01)	June 28, 1973 (1973-06-28)
Rehavam Ze'evi	November 2, 1973 (1973-11-02)	January 16, 1974 (1974-01-16)
Yitzhak Hofi	January 16, 1974 (1974-01-16)	April 16, 1974 (1974-04-16)	Later Director of Mossad
Herzl Shafir	April 16, 1974 (1974-04-16)	March 1, 1976 (1976-03-01)	Later Commissioner of Police
Yekutiel Adam	March 2, 1976 (1976-03-02)	August 25, 1977 (1977-08-25)
Rafael Eitan	August 25, 1977 (1977-08-25)	April 7, 1978 (1978-04-07)
Yekutiel Adam	1978 (1978)	January 1982 (1982-01)
Moshe Levi	January 1982 (1982-01)	1983 (1983)
David Ivry	1983 (1983)	1985 (1985)
Dan Shomron	January 17, 1985 (1985-01-17)	October 1, 1986 (1986-10-01)
Amir Drori	October 1, 1986 (1986-10-01)	April 6, 1987 (1987-04-06)
Ehud Barak	May 7, 1987 (1987-05-07)	March 13, 1991 (1991-03-13)	10th Prime Minister
Amnon Lipkin-Shahak	March 13, 1991 (1991-03-13)	November 29, 1994 (1994-11-29)
Matan Vilnai	November 29, 1994 (1994-11-29)	September 15, 1997 (1997-09-15)
Shaul Mofaz	September 15, 1997 (1997-09-15)	June 11, 1998 (1998-06-11)
Uzi Dayan	June 11, 1998 (1998-06-11)	June 27, 1999 (1999-06-27)
Dan Halutz	June 27, 1999 (1999-06-27)	September 15, 2000 (2000-09-15)
Giora Eiland	September 15, 2000 (2000-09-15)	January 25, 2001 (2001-01-25)
Dan Harel	January 26, 2001 (2001-01-26)	2003 (2003)
Israel Ziv	2003 (2003)	2005 (2005)
Gadi Eizenkot	June 2005 (2005-06)	October 12, 2006 (2006-10-12)
Tal Russo	October 12, 2006 (2006-10-12)	October 4, 2010 (2010-10-04)
Yaakov Ayash	October 4, 2010 (2010-10-04)	September 6, 2012 (2012-09-06)
Yoav Har-Even	September 6, 2012 (2012-09-06)	May 26, 2015 (2015-05-26)
Nitzan Alon	May 26, 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

See also

• General staff
• Staff (military)