On Thursday evening, Brigadier General Avi Bluth, 49, will be appointed to the position of Central Command commander.
Bluth will also be promoted to the rank of Major General – the first alumnus of the Eli pre-military academy to achieve that high rank.
Previously, Bluth has served as commander of the IDF’s Judea and Samaria Division, and served as the Prime Minister’s Military Secretary until the Bennett-Lapid government was formed.
Bluth also served for two years as the commander of the Commando Brigade. His previous positions as commander included Battalion 101 and the Maglan Unit.
“While commanding the Judea and Samaria Division, Brigadier General Avi Bluth led the efforts to thwart terror and protect the towns, the roads, and the ‘seam line’ region in the area, led the July 2023 Jenin operation, and commanded the division in the first months of the Swords of Iron war,” the IDF said in a statement.
Bluth is a key figure in one of the IDF’s most significant recent policy shifts: the revision of open-fire protocols. This change included relaxed guidelines for engaging rock-throwing terrorists and terrorists involved in ramming attacks who attempted to flee the scene.
Originally from Neve Tzuf in the Shomron, Bluth now resides in Nehusha with his wife, Adi, and their six daughters. He holds a B.A. in Philosophy, Economics, and Political Science from the Hebrew University, as well as an M.A. in Strategic Thinking from the US Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
{Matzav.com}