Southern Command (Israel)

History

For many years the Southern Command was tasked with defending the Negev and securing the border on the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt. The Southern Command led IDF troops in five wars against Egypt: the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, the Suez War, the Six-Day War, the War of Attrition, and the Yom Kippur War. This high operational activity and its demanding toll resulted in the Southern Command's Alufs (SCA) being replaced fairly rapidly.

The most famous leadership replacements took place in 1973, during the Yom Kippur War when Shmuel Gonen was suspended as the SCA due to repeated disputes with Ariel Sharon, who was the previous SCA. The government-appointed Haim Bar-Lev, who was the former Chief of the General Staff, as the new SCA in an emergency directive. After the Egypt–Israel peace treaty, the southern front remained quiet and most of the activity centred on guarding the borders from smugglers and fluid security over the Gaza Strip.

During the Second Intifada, the Command was placed in charge-of counter-terrorist efforts. The Gaza Strip, one of the most densely populated places in the world, was known as a stronghold for extremist groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad, who engaged in Palestinian political violence. The local production and proliferation of light anti-tank weapons by these groups, made travel by lightly armored vehicles dangerous.

From 2004, the fighting in Gaza became especially intensive, and on the IDF's part, included targeted killings, short armored expeditions, and efforts to locate and destroy the smuggling tunnels used by Palestinian militant groups to obtain weapons.

During 2005, the Southern Command was involved in the unilateral Gaza disengagement plan, initiated by Ariel Sharon (Prime Minister of Israel, 2001–2006), which mainly entailed the removals of all Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip and back to the Israeli side of the Green Line. The Command re-situated itself north of the Gaza fence. The Philadelphi Route was given to Egypt, who did not prevent the movement of thousands of Palestinians between the Gaza Strip and the Sinai through the city of Rafah. , the attempt to infiltrate Israel to perform suicide bombings and the launch of Qassam rockets, especially by Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees, remains ongoing and is the central focus of the Southern Command.

On January 21, 2025, Finkelman submitted his resignation as commander of the Southern Command over the failures of October 7. He has stayed until a successor is named.

Command organization 2025

• [[File:PadamLogoFrom2019.svg|25px]] Southern Command
  • [[File:Edom 80th Division.svg|25px]] 80th Territorial Division "Edom"
    • [[File:HativatYoavFrom2016.svg|25px]] 406th Territorial Brigade "Yoav"
    • [[File:תג חטיבה 460.svg|25px]] 460th Armored Brigade "Bnei Or/Sons of Light" (In peacetime functions as Armor School)
    • [[File:Logo hativa Faran.svg|25px]] 512th Territorial Brigade "Paran"
    • [[File:Hatamnew.svg|25px]] 425th Artillery Brigade (In peacetime functions as Field Artillery School)
    • Division Logistic Group
  • [[File:Logo-ugdat-gaza new.png|25px]] 143rd Territorial Division "Firefox"
    • [[File:Bahad 1 Symbol.SVG|25px]] 261st Infantry Brigade (Reserve) (formed by the Israeli Ground Forces' Officers School; will transfer to the 252nd Division in 2026)
    • [[File:Logo-hativat-katif.png|25px]] 6643rd Territorial Brigade "Katif" (Southern Gaza)
    • [[File:Logo-hativat-gefen.png|25px]] 7643rd Territorial Brigade "Gefen" (Northern Gaza)
    • 8643rd Division Logistic Group
  • [[File:Logo-ugda-162.png|25px]] 162nd Armored Division "Ha-Plada/Steel"
    • [[File:Hativa 5.png|25px]] 5th Infantry Brigade "HaSharon" (Reserve)
    • [[File:תג חטיבת גבעתי.svg|25px]] 84th Infantry Brigade "Givati"
    • [[File:תג יחידה 401.svg|25px]] 401st Armored Brigade "I'kvot ha-Barzel/Iron Trails"
    • [[File:Nahal Brigade.svg|25px]] 933rd Infantry Brigade "Nahal"
    • [[File:Utzbat Amud Haesh Eged 215 Tag.svg|25px]] 215th Artillery Brigade "Amud ha-Esh/Pillar of Fire"
    • [[File:162 log.png|25px]] 6162nd Division Logistic Group
  • [[File:Sinai 252nd Division.svg|25px]] 252nd Armored Division "Sinai"
    • [[File:HarelBrigade.svg|25px]] 10th Armored Brigade "Harel" (Reserve)
    • [[File:NegevBrigade.svg|25px]] 12th Infantry Brigade "Negev" (Reserve)
    • [[File:Brigade 14 sign.svg|25px]] 14th Armored Brigade "Machatz" (Reserve)
    • [[File:JerusalemBrigade.png|25px]] 16th Infantry Brigade "Jerusalem" (Reserve)
    • [[File:Tavor.png|25px]] 454th Artillery Brigade "Tabor/Fire Flame" (Reserve)
    • [[File:Div 252 - logistics.png|25px]] Division Logistic Group
  • [[File:Padam kesher.png|25px]] 373rd Signal Battalion "Ra'am"
  • [[File:IDF Combat Engineering Corps at Southern Command.svg|25px]] Southern Command Engineering Unit 803
  • [[File:HamanDarom.svg|25px]] Southern Command Intelligence Unit
  • [[File:MishtaraPadam.svg|25px]] Southern Command Military Police Unit 392
  • [[File:IDF Medical Corps at Southern Command.svg|25px]] Southern Command Medical Unit
  • [[File:Zeelim.png|25px]] Southern Command Training Base "Tze'elim"
  • [[File:Almar 5005.png|25px]] 5005th Logistic Group (Southwest)
  • [[File:Almar 5006.png|25px]] 5006th Logistic Group (Southeast)

Commanders

References

References

1. "Southern command Israel".
2. "Taking responsibility for Oct. 7 failures, IDF chief and head of Southern Command resign".
3. IDF Editorial Team. (9 July 2023). "The New Commanding Officer of the Southern Command".
4. "Yaniv Asor enters new role as IDF Southern Command chief".