Brigadier General Dudo Bar Kalippa Tapped to Lead IDF Central Command

The Israel Defense Forces announced Monday that Defense Minister Israel Katz has approved Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir's recommendation to appoint Brigadier General Dudo Bar Kalippa as the next commander of the IDF Central Command. Bar Kalippa is slated to assume the new role next year, contingent on operational assessments.

Bar Kalippa, who enlisted in the IDF in 1995, has a distinguished service record. He served as a combat soldier in the Golani Brigade and later as an officer, commanding the Shaked Battalion in the Givati Brigade, heading the brigade's training base, and leading the Gaza Division's Southern Brigade. During the recent "Swords of Iron" war, he commanded the 36th "Ga'ash" Armored Division, which operated in the central Gaza Strip. He currently serves as the head of the Manpower Directorate.

Bar Kalippa's name recently surfaced in public discourse after Defense Minister Katz stated in a televised interview that he intended to replace the current Central Command chief, Major General Avi Blout. Katz cited a dispute between himself and Blout, stemming from Blout appealing to a court against the release of settler Tal Yinon Dardik, who was suspected of violence against a Palestinian. Katz called the appeal "the wrong move" and stated his intention to appoint Bar Kalippa instead.

However, the day after this incident, Katz denied that he had dismissed Blout, calling the claim a "complete lie."