Popular IDF Spokesman Hagari to be replaced by former IDF liaison office chief, Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin

The commander of the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, Brig.-Gen. Daniel Hagari will be replaced by Brig.-Gen. Effie Defrin, the former head of the IDF’s International Cooperation unit, the Israel Defense Forces announced Sunday.

Hagari, who gained international recognition as well as domestic popularity through his many appearances at the start of the war, will retire from military service after over 30 years.

His retirement was widely seen as a dismissal and following several public spats with the political echelon over the course of the war.

However, he remains widely popular among the Israeli population and the media, having gained a reputation for not shying away from talking to the public about the military’s failures and taking responsibility for them.

Last June, Hagari drew criticism from the Prime Minister’s Office when he suggested Hamas couldn’t be destroyed militarily. “You can't destroy an idea,” Hagari said at the time.

In December, he apologized for “exceeding his authority” after sharply criticizing the so-called “Feldstein Law” during a press conference. In response, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi reprimanded Hagari for his remarks, while Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened disciplinary action.

Several Israeli media outlets and analysts therefore alleged that political pressure was behind what they described as Hagari’s “dismissal.”

While the IDF said the retirement was “agreed upon” with new IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, media reports suggested Hagari had sought a promotion to Maj.-Gen. and an appointment as the IDF’s military attache to Washington.

However, Zamir reportedly only offered another role at the rank of Brig.-Gen., triggering Hagari’s decision to retire.

“The chief of staff wished to express his great appreciation to Brig.-Gen. Hagari for his years of significant combat service for the State of Israel. Brig.-Gen. Hagari performed his role as IDF spokesman during one of the most complex wars in the country’s history, in a professional and dedicated manner,” the military stated.

“The chief of staff and I have agreed that I will end my role in the coming weeks and retire from the IDF,” Hagari said in a statement to his subordinates.

“The last two years have been challenging for all of us. I had the privilege of commanding a great unit with the best people.”

“The war is not over yet, and the hostages in Gaza are always in front of our eyes, as a goal of unparalleled value and importance,” Hagari added.

His successor will be Defrin, who had recently retired from active service and served as a fellow at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) in the U.S.

While Defrin has some experience in the field of communications, he continues the recent line of combat officers in the role of the IDF’s spokesman. Previously, the IDF employed civilians with experience in the field of media for this post.

Before Defrin’s appointment was announced, Yaakov Katz, former Editor-in-Chief of the Jerusalem Post, had called on the IDF to resume this practice.

He said Hagari’s retirement “presents an opportunity for new CoS Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir to appoint a seasoned media professional to the role. Hagari performed well, but there is always room for improvement. To achieve that, the position should be filled by someone with real media expertise.”

“Just as an Israeli Air Force squadron commander must be a pilot and a navy flotilla commander a sailor, the head of the IDF Spokesperson’s Office should be someone who understands the media and has firsthand experience in it. October 7 taught us many lessons - one of them is the need for professionals in the right positions,” Katz wrote on X.

In Defrin’s last role in the IDF, he commanded the Tevel Brigade, tasked with running the military’s relations with allied armed forces, as well as some regional countries with which Israel doesn’t have official relations, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Like the new IDF chief Zamir, Defrin began his military career as a tank commander. In the 2006 Lebanon War, he led the 401st Armored Brigade’s 9th Battalion and was critically wounded.

He went on to head the 27th Reserve Armored Brigade and was the deputy commander of the 36th Division, before being appointed as military attache to India in 2016. Three years later, he became head of the Tevel Brigade.