Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi appointed as IDF deputy chief of staff

DEBKAfile was founded by a team of journalists in June 2000 as an independent Internet Web site, providing an intelligence and security news service. May 11, 2017, 5:33 PM (IDT)

IDF Maj. Gen. Aviv Kochavi was appointed as deputy chief of staff on Thursday. The 53-year-old Kochavi previously served as head of the Northern Command, head of military intelligence, head of the general staff’s operations division, commander of the Gaza Division and commander of the paratrooper brigade, among other posts. Kochavi will officially assume the post on Sunday, succeeding Maj. Gen. Yair Golan who is taking a leave of absence to pursue academic studies.
As for other appointments, Moni Katz was promoted to major general and will serve as head of the Depth Command, succeeding Maj. Gen. Tal Russo who is retiring from the IDF. Katz previously served in a range of posts including head of the Depth Command’s staff, commander of the 91st Division and commander of the ground forces training center.    
The appointments took place at a ceremony at IDF headquarters attended by Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman and the IDF chief of staff, Lieut. Gen. Gady Eisenkott.

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