Southern Command (Israel)

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The Southern Command (Template:Langx), often abbreviated to Padam (<templatestyles src="Script/styles_hebrew.css" />פד"מ‎), is a regional command of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It is responsible for the Negev, the Arava, and Eilat. It is currently headed by Yaniv Asor.[1]

History

For many years the Southern Command was tasked with defending the Negev and securing the border on the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt. The Southern Command led IDF troops in five wars against Egypt: the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the Suez War, the Six-Day War, the War of Attrition, and the Yom Kippur War. This high operational activity and its demanding toll resulted in the Southern Command's Alufs (SCA) being replaced fairly rapidly.[2]

The most famous leadership replacements took place in 1973, during the Yom Kippur War when Shmuel Gonen was suspended as the SCA due to repeated disputes with Ariel Sharon, who was the previous SCA. The government-appointed Haim Bar-Lev, who was the former Chief of the General Staff, as the new SCA in an emergency directive. After the Egypt–Israel peace treaty, the southern front remained quiet and most of the activity centred on guarding the borders from smugglers and fluid security over the Gaza Strip.

During the Second Intifada, the Command was placed in charge-of counter-terrorist efforts. The Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated places in the world, was known as a stronghold for extremist groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who engaged in Palestinian political violence. The local production and proliferation of light anti-tank weapons by these groups, made travel by lightly armored vehicles dangerous.

From 2004, the fighting in Gaza became especially intensive, and on the IDF's part, included targeted killings, short armored expeditions, and efforts to locate and destroy the smuggling tunnels used by Palestinian militant groups to obtain weapons.

During 2005, the Southern Command was involved in the unilateral Gaza disengagement plan, initiated by Ariel Sharon (Prime Minister of Israel, 2001–2006), which mainly entailed the removals of all Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip and back to the Israeli side of the Green Line. The Command re-situated itself north of the Gaza fence. The Philadelphi Route was given to Egypt, who did not prevent the movement of thousands of Palestinians between the Gaza Strip and the Sinai through the city of Rafah. since 2006Template:Dated maintenance category (articles)Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters"., the attempt to infiltrate Israel to perform suicide bombings and the launch of Qassam rockets, especially by Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees, remains ongoing and is the central focus of the Southern Command.

On January 21, 2025, Finkelman submitted his resignation as commander of the Southern Command over the failures of October 7. He has stayed until a successor is named.[3]

Command organization 2024

File:Israel Southern Command - Organization 2023.png
Southern Command organization 2024

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Commanders

Name Dates Image Notes Ref
Yigal Allon 1948–1949 File:Yigal Allon.jpg
Yitzhak Rabin 1949 File:Rabin Northern Command1957.jpg Acting commander
Moshe Dayan October 1949 – October 1951 File:Moshe Dayan, Chief of General Staff.jpg
Moshe Tzadok October 1951 – January 1954 File:משה צדוק לרר 1948 ארכיון ההגנה.jpg
Template:Ill 1954 File:Yaacov Peri (Prulov), December 1952 D359-119.jpeg Acting commander
Template:Ill 1955 File:צבי גילת הורביץ.jpg
Meir Amit November 1955 – August 1956 File:Meir Amit.jpg
Asaf Simhoni August–November 1956 File:Asaf Simchoni 1953.jpg Acting commander in Operation Kadesh
Haim Laskov November 1956 – January 1958 File:Chaim Laskov.jpg
Chaim Herzog January–July 1958 File:Chaim herzog.jpeg
Avraham Yoffe July 1958 – May 1962 File:Avraham Yoffe1960.jpg
Zvi Zamir May 1962 – December 1965 File:PikiWiki Israel 28632 Art of Israel.jpg
Yeshayahu Gavish December 1965 – December 1969 File:Gavish 1967.jpg
Ariel Sharon December 1969 – July 1973 File:Ci-Club12.jpg
Shmuel Gonen July–November 1973 File:Shmuel Gonen.jpg
Haim Bar-Lev October 1973 File:Haim Bar-Lev.jpg As former Chief of Staff, assumed command during the Yom Kippur War
Israel Tal November 1973 – January 1974 File:Aluf Israel Tal.jpg
Avraham Adan January–July 1974 File:Flickr - Government Press Office (GPO) - ALUF AVRAHAM ADAN.jpg
Yekutiel Adam July 1974 – March 1976 File:אלוף "קותי" יקותיאל אדם - פורטרט.jpg
Herzl Shafir March 1976 – February 1978 File:Aluf Herzl Shafir.jpeg
Dan Shomron February 1978 – January 1982 File:Dan Shomron, Chief of General Staff.jpg
Template:Ill January 1982 – October 1983 File:ErellRabinErez1985 (cropped).jpg
Template:Ill October 1983 – February 1986 File:Moshe Bar Kochva.jpg
Uri Sagi February–August 1986 File:Uri Sagi.jpg
Yitzhak Mordechai August 1986 – 1989 File:Yitzhak Mordechai (cropped).jpg
Matan Vilnai 1989 – November 1994 File:Matan Vilnai.jpg
Shaul Mofaz November 1994 – 1996 File:Secretary Clinton Meets With Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Mofaz (7414559360) (cropped).jpg
Template:Ill 1996 – September 1997 File:Shlomo Yanai (3479) (cropped).jpg
Yom-Tov Samia September 1997 – 2000 File:Yom-Tov Samia.jpg
Doron Almog 2000 – July 2003 File:טקס פרס ישראל 2016 (cropped).jpg
Dan Harel July 2003 – October 2005 File:Dan Harel.jpg
Yoav Gallant October 2005 – October 2010 File:Yoav Galant 1 (cropped).jpg
Tal Rousso October 2010 – April 2013 File:Tal Russo Aug-2011.JPG
Sami Turgeman April 2013 – October 2015 File:Sami Turgeman portrait.jpg
Eyal Zamir 14 October 2015 – 6 June 2018 File:EyalzamirIDF.jpg
Herzi Halevi 6 June 2018 – 21 March 2021 File:Herzi Halevi RAV ALUF.jpg
Eliezer Toledano 21 March 2021 – 9 July 2023 File:Eliezer Toledano.jpg
Yaron Finkelman 9 July 2023 – 12 March 2025 File:Yaron Finkelman portrait.jpg [1]
Yaniv Asor 12 March 2025 – File:Yaniv Asor, Rank awarding ceremony, February 2021. V.jpg [4]

See also

References

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