Northern Command (Israel)

History

During the wars in the 1960s and 70s, the Northern Command was in charge of the campaigns directed against Syria on the Golan Heights and the Lebanese border. During the 1970s and 80s, it mainly faced attacks from the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which was driven to southern Lebanon following Black September. Beginning with the 1982 Lebanon War, the Northern Command faced attacks from Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group founded in 1982 to fight the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon.

In the early 1990s, it may have included a full active armoured division and a mechanised brigade; three to four reserve divisions; four to five reserve mechanised and infantry brigades; and four to five territorial infantry brigades.

During 2000, the Northern Command completed its withdrawal from the Security Zone in southern Lebanon and was dispatched along the UN-sanctioned border. Although Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon has been met with UN approval, Hezbollah continues its attacks, mainly in the Shebaa farms area of Mount Hermon, an area occupied by Israel from Syria and which Hezbollah claims as Lebanese territory.

Command organization 2025

The Northern Command commands regional units from Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights, to Netanya, with a significant presence in the Galilee and the Golan Heights.

• [[File:PazanLogo.svg|25px]] Northern Command, in Safed
  • [[File:Logo-ugda-36.png|25px]] 36th Division "Ga'ash"
    • [[File:Golani tree color.svg|25px]] 1st Infantry Brigade "Golani"
    • [[File:Etzioni-hativa-6 -NewBrigada.png|25px]] 6th Infantry Brigade "Etzioni" (Reserve)
    • [[File:7thArmoredBrigade.svg|25px]] 7th Armored Brigade "Saar meGolan"
    • [[File:Hativa188.PNG|25px]] 188th Armored Brigade "Barak"
    • [[File:Hativat Haesh 282.svg|25px]] 282nd Artillery Brigade "Golan"
    • [[File:IDF 36th Division's Logistics Regiment New Tag.svg|25px]] Division Logistic Group
  • [[File:Logo-ugda-91.png|25px]] 91st Division "HaGalil"
    • [[File:Alexandroni.svg|25px]] 3rd Infantry Brigade "Alexandroni" (Reserve)
    • [[File:Logo hativa 8.png|25px]] 8th Armored Brigade "HaZaken" (Reserve)
    • [[File:Logo-hativat-300.png|25px]] 300th Territorial Brigade "Bar'am" – Western section of the Israel Lebanon border
    • [[File:Logo-hativa-769.png|25px]] 769th Territorial Brigade "Hiram" – Eastern section of the Israel Lebanon border
    • [[File:Adirimlogo.png|25px]] 7338th Artillery Brigade "Adirim" (Reserve)
    • [[File:91 log.png|25px]] Division Logistic Group
  • [[File:Logo-ugda-146.png|25px]] 146th Division "HaMapatz"
    • [[File:Brigade carmeli.png|25px]] 2nd Infantry Brigade "Carmeli" (Reserve)
    • [[File:Kiryati.svg|25px]] 4th Armored Brigade "Kiryati" (Reserve)
    • [[File:Logo hativa 514.png|25px]] 205th Armored Brigade "Egrof HaBarzel" (Reserve)
    • [[File:Hativa nesher.png|25px]] 226th Paratroopers Brigade "Nesher" (Reserve)
    • [[File:Logo hativa 228.png|25px]] 228th Infantry Brigade "Alon" (Reserve)
    • [[File:Logo-otvat-hatkuma.png|25px]] 213th Artillery Brigade "HaTkuma" (Reserve)
    • [[File:319 log.png|25px]] 319th Division Logistic Group
  • [[File:תג עוצבת הבשן.png|25px]] 210th Division "HaBashan"
    • [[File:OdedBrigade.svg|25px]] 9th Infantry Brigade "Oded" (Reserve)
    • [[File:Logo-hativat-474- aGolan.png|25px]] 474th Territorial Brigade "Golan" – Golan Heights sector
    • [[File:Logo-hativa-434.png|25px]] 679th Armored Brigade "Yiftach" (Reserve)
    • [[File:Logo of the IDF Mountain Brigade (810).jpeg|25px]] 810th Mountain Brigade – Mount Hermon sector
    • [[File:Kidon209.png|25px]] 209th Artillery Brigade "Kidon" (Reserve)
    • [[File:Div 210 - logistics.png|25px]] 6366th Division Logistics Group
  • [[File:PazanTikshuvLogo.svg|25px]] 371st Signal Battalion "Ayalim"
  • [[File:Handasa pzn.png|25px]] Northern Command Engineering Unit 801
  • [[File:ModiinZafonNew.svg|25px]] Northern Command Intelligence Unit
  • [[File:Mz pzn.png|25px]] Northern Command Military Police Unit 390
  • [[File:Northern Military Medical Corps tag from 2024.svg|25px]] Northern Command Medical Unit 541
  • [[File:Bap Elikim.png|25px]] Northern Command Training Base "Eliakim"
  • [[File:Almar 5001.png|25px]] 5001st Logistics Group "Northern Golan"
  • [[File:Almar 5002.png|25px]] 5002nd Logistics Group "Lebanon"
  • [[File:Almar 5003.png|25px]] 5003rd Logistics Group "Southern Golan"

Commanders

• Moshe Carmel (1948–1949)
• Yosef Avidar (1949–1952)
• Moshe Dayan (1952)
• Asaf Simhoni (1952–1954)
• Moshe Tzadok (1954–1956)
• Yitzhak Rabin (1956–1959)
• Meir Zorea (1959–1962)
• Avraham Yoffe (1962–1964)
• David Elazar (1964–1969)
• Mordechai Gur (1969–1972, 1974)
• Yitzhak Hofi (1972–1974)
• Rafael Eitan (1974–1977)
• Avigdor Ben Gal (1977–1981)
• Amir Drori (1981–1983)
• Ori Orr (1983–1986)
• Yossi Peled (1986–1991)
• Yitzhak Mordechai (1991–1994)
• Amiram Levin (1994–1998)
• Gabi Ashkenazi (1998–2002)
• Benny Gantz (2002–2005)
• Udi Adam (2005–2006)
• Gadi Eizenkot (2006–2011)
• Yair Golan (2011–2014)
• Aviv Kochavi (2014–2017)
• Yoel Strick (2017–2019)
• Amir Baram (2019–2022)
• Ori Gordin (2022–2025)
• Rafi Milo (2025–)

References

References

1. Anthony Cordesman, "After the Storm: The Changing Military Balance in the Middle East," 1993.
2. "הוקמה חטיבה מרחבית חדשה בגבול סוריה-לבנון - חטיבת 'ההרים'". Israel Defense Forces.
3. Katz, Yaakov. (July 12, 2011). "Assessing Quiet on Lebanon Front, 5 Years after 2006 War". [[The Jerusalem Post]].
4. Zitun, Yoav. (February 11, 2014). "מפקד פיקוד צפון הנכנס האלוף כוכבי: הזירה הזו איסלאמיסטית ואלימה יותר". [[Yedioth Ahronoth]].
5. Opall-Rome, Barbara. (February 26, 2017). "Interview: IDF Maj. Gen. Yoel Strik, on transition to the northern theater". [[Defense News]].
6. Fabian, Emanuel. (19 May 2022). "Gantz approves home front chief as next head of IDF Northern Command".
7. (13 Aug 2025). "At Northern Command handover ceremony, generals say enemy will never again be allowed to entrench themselves on border". [[The Times of Israel]].