By JERUSALEM POST STAFFLt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi was born in 1954 in Moshav Hagor. He is a graduate of the military boarding school of the Gymnasia Herzliya in Tel Aviv.
1972 - Ashkenazi was recruited to the IDF Golani Brigade
1973 - During the Yom Kippur War, Ashkenazi participated in the battles along the southern front
1976 - Ashkenazi participated in the Entebbe operation
1978 - Serving as a deputy battalion commander in the Golani Brigade, Ashkenazi was wounded while participating in the Litani operation
1979-1980 - Took part in the Barak Command and Staff Course, which he completed with honors
1980 - Appointed commander of a Golani battalion
1981 - Received the rank of lieutenant colonel
1982 - During the war in Lebanon, Ashkenazi was appointed deputy commander of the Golani Brigade and commanded the forces that captured the Beaufort, Nabatiya and Jebel Baruch
1983-1984 - Participated in the Command and Staff Course of the US Army Marines
1984 - Appointed operations officer at the headquarters of the Infantry and Paratroopers Corps
1985 - Promoted to the rank of colonel and became the commander of a regional brigade in the IDF's Northern Command
1987 - Appointed commander of the Golani Brigade
1988 - Appointed operations officer of the Northern Command
1990 - Transferred to the Armored Corps, received the rank of brigadier general and was appointed commander of a Reserve Armored Division in the Northern Command
1992 - Appointed commander of the IDF Liaison Unit to Lebanon
1994 - Appointed commander of the IDF Operations Unit within the General Staff
1996 - Promoted to major general and served as assistant head of the General Staff Branch, in the IDF's General Staff
1998 - Appointed GOC Northern Command
2002 - Appointed deputy chief of General Staff
2005 - Ashkenazi retired from the IDF
• On February 4, 2007, the government of Israel decided to appoint Gabi Ashkenazi to be the 19th chief of General Staff.
• On February 14, 2007, Gabi Ashkenazi received the rank of lieutenant general and was sworn in as chief of General Staff.
• Lt.-Gen. Ashkenazi holds a BA in Political Science from the University of Haifa and is a graduate of the Harvard Business Management program for senior executives. He is married to Ronit and is the father of Itai and Gali.RECOMMENDED STORIESAt least 35 people wounded following Iranian missile barrageJUNE 15, 2025Israel's airspace closed: How to enter, leave the Jewish state during Iran escalationsJUNE 15, 2025Iran reaches out to Qatar, Oman in attempt to broker ceasefire with US, IsraelJUNE 15, 2025Starlink operating in Iran, Elon Musk says, as Islamic regime shuts internet downJUNE 14, 2025Hot OpinionNow is the time for a unity government to provide clarity within the chaos - editorialByJPOST EDITORIALNetanyahu achieved his life's work by stopping a nuclear Iran, now it's time to resignByDAVID BRINNSitting in a quiet, destroyed neighborhood: At the heart of Iran's missile attack on Bat YamBySETH J. FRANTZMANIsrael had a window of opportunity to attack Iran and it was right to use it -ByYAAKOV KATZ