The Strategy and Third-Circle Directorate was a Directorate in the

General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces The General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces or General Headquarters (), abbreviated Matkal (מטכ"ל), is the supreme command of the Israel Defense Forces. It is based in the HaKirya, Kirya compound (Rabin Camp) in Tel Aviv. Members The maj ...

, formed in 2020 as part of the then-Chief of Staff

Aviv Kohavi Aviv Kohavi (; born 23 April 1964) is an Israeli former general who served as the 22nd Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces from January 15, 2019 to January 16, 2023. Before becoming Lieutenant General ( Rav-Aluf), he was commander ...

five-year development plan and disbanded in 2025 under the Chief of Staff

Eyal Zamir Eyal Zamir (; born 26 January 1966) is the current Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces, having taken office on 5 March 2025. Zamir previously served as the Director-General of the Israeli Ministry of Defense (2023–2025), a ...

Details

The Directorate is made to concentrate the activity of the IDF in relation to Israel's third circle enemies (those with which it doesn't share a border), chief among them being

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

. As such the Directorate is also nicknamed The Iran Command. Heading the Directorate is a senior IDF officer in the rank of

Aluf ( or "first/leader of a group" in Biblical Hebrew) is a senior military rank in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for officers who in other countries would have the rank of general, air marshal, or admiral. In addition to the ''aluf'' rank, fo ...

, equivalent to Major general. With the creation of the Directorate two Divisions, originally of the

Planning Directorate The Planning Directorate (Hebrew: אגף התכנון, Acronym: AGAT) was the central body in the Israel Defense Forces' Israeli General Staff, General Staff whose focus was on strategic and tactical planning, the building of military forces, and ...

, were subordinated to it: The Strategic Division - Responsible for short and long-term strategic planning, and the International Cooperation Division (ICD) - responsible for the IDF relations with foreign armed forces, peacekeeping forces and international organizations. Both divisions are headed by officers in the rank of Tat-Aluf ( Brigadier general). Along with these two divisions, the Directorate includes the Iran Headquarters, led by an officer in the rank of

Aluf Mishne ( or "first/leader of a group" in Biblical Hebrew) is a senior military rank in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) for officers who in other countries would have the rank of general, air marshal, or admiral. In addition to the ''aluf'' rank, f ...

(

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

), responsible for the concentration and coordination of all military efforts in the

Iran–Israel proxy conflict The Iran–Israel proxy conflict, also known as the Iran–Israel proxy war or Iran–Israel Cold War, is an ongoing Proxy war, proxy conflict between Iran and Israel. In the Israeli–Lebanese conflict, Iran has supported Lebanese Shia milit ...

. Serving as Head of the Directorate since September 2023 is Aluf

Eliezer Toledano Eliezer Toledano (; born 12 October 1973) is an Israeli Aluf ( major general) who served as the commander of the Paratroopers Brigade, the Military Secretary to the Prime Minister, the commander of the Gaza Division and of the Southern Command. ...

. In March 2025, hours after taking office, Chief of General Staff

decided to disband the directorate and transfer its wings to other divisions in the General Staff. The directorate was finally disbanded on 31 March 2021 with all of its divisions transferred to the

References

{{Israel Defense Forces 2020 establishments in Israel 2025 disestablishments in Israel Iran–Israel proxy conflict Israel Defense Forces directorates Military units and formations established in 2020 Military units and formations disestablished in 2025