Reserve Colonel Ofir Levi Appointed Deputy Head of Israel National Security Council

The Israeli government is set to approve the appointment of Reserve Colonel Ofir Levi as the new Deputy Head of the National Security Council (NSC), replacing Gil Reich who recently completed his term. Levi, 51, is a retired armored corps officer who held the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (security). After his military service, he worked as a border defense consultant for Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and served as a director at the Golan Heights winery company Anavei.

Levi holds a bachelor's degree in behavioral sciences with a focus on organizational consulting from Ariel University and a master's degree in political science from the University of Haifa. He also completed senior director courses at the Jordan Valley College and financial report analysis at the Israeli Management College. His military career included senior roles such as head of armored corps doctrine, commander of Reserve Brigade 679, and deputy commander of the Golan Division 210.

Despite a legal opinion highlighting significant challenges regarding the appointment process due to insufficient female representation, the appointments committee and legal advisor concluded there is no legal barrier to approving Levi's nomination. The government is expected to formalize the appointment at its weekly meeting on Sunday.