Israeli army chief, air force commanders acknowledge October 2023 failure

Israeli Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir and the outgoing and new air force commanders acknowledged Tuesday that the military failed during the Oct. 7, 2023 events.

The remarks came during a handover ceremony at Tel Nof Airbase in central Israel, where outgoing air force chief Tomer Bar transferred command to his successor Omer Tishler, according to the Yedioth Ahronoth daily and Channel 12.

“On Oct. 7, this branch — like the entire Israeli military — failed in its mission to defend the state of Israel,” Zamir said. “This failure accompanies us daily and obliges us to take responsibility and investigate it.”

Israeli officials consider what happened on Oct. 7, 2023 to be the biggest Israeli intelligence and military failure, which has caused great damage to the image of Israel and its army in the world.

Bar said the full picture of what happened would only emerge after an independent external inquiry.

“Oct. 7 was the greatest catastrophe we have faced since the Holocaust and I will forever carry with me the profound meaning of this day,” he said. “We were not there for the civilians. It happened on my watch while the Air Force operations were my responsibility.”

He acknowledged that “the entire Israeli military failed that morning,” noting that “for the first time the air force was tasked with defending civilians while fighting unfolded inside Israeli territory.”

Bar stressed the need for “an external and objective commission of inquiry,” saying it was essential for the military, security institutions and public trust.

Israel’s opposition has repeatedly called for an independent state commission of inquiry appointed by the Supreme Court, while the government of Benjamin Netanyahu has pushed for a political panel instead.

In December, a ministerial committee approved forming a government-appointed inquiry, drawing criticism from opposition leaders who said it would lack independence.

Netanyahu said at the time that his government would determine the committee's mandate and the limits of the investigation.

Tishler, for his part, described the events as a “bitter military failure,” pledging to implement all the lessons of the Oct. 7 investigations.

“We will not allow enemies to build up on our borders,” he said.

Tishler added that the air force is tracking developments involving Iran and “ready to deploy its full capabilities eastward if necessary.”

Regional tensions have escalated after the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Feb. 28, triggering retaliation from Tehran against Israel, as well as US allies in the Gulf, along with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

A ceasefire took effect on April 8 through Pakistani mediation, but talks in Islamabad failed to produce a lasting agreement. The truce was later extended by US President Donald Trump without a set deadline.

Since April 13, the United States has enforced a naval blockade targeting Iranian maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio in Istanbul