Yair Naveh is a Major General

Israel Defense Forces ranks

Israel Defense Forces The Israel Defense Forces have a unique rank structure. Because the IDF is an integrated force, ranks are the same in all services The ranks are derived from those of the paramilitary Haganah developed in the Mandate period to protect the Yishuv...

 in the Israel Defense Forces

Israel Defense Forces

The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...

 and is the current Deputy Chief of the General Staff. In 1975, he was drafted into the IDF where he served in all positions in the Golani Infantry Brigade

Golani Brigade

The Golani Brigade is an Israeli infantry brigade that is subordinated to the 36th Division and traditionally associated with the Northern Command. Its symbol is a green tree on a yellow background, and its soldiers wear a brown beret. It is one of the most highly decorated infantry units in the...

 from Company Commander to Brigade Commander. He lives in Zikhron Ya'akov.

Naveh was previously the head of Israeli Home Front Command

Israeli Home Front Command

The Israeli Home Front Command is an Israel Defense Forces regional command, created in February 1992 following the Gulf War, which was the first war since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War in which centres of civilian population faced significant threat....

 until nominated by former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon

Ariel Sharon

Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....

 to his post as Central Command chief. It is believed by some Israelis that Sharon nominated Naveh because he is the highest ranked religious officer and that as head of Central Command, he would be forced to carry out the evacuation of West Bank settlements

Israel's unilateral disengagement plan

Israel's unilateral disengagement plan , also known as the "Disengagement plan", "Gaza expulsion plan", and "Hitnatkut", was a proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, adopted by the government on June 6, 2004 and enacted in August 2005, to evict all Israelis from the Gaza Strip and from...

 in 2005.

Naveh holds a Bachelors degree in History and Political Science, as well as a Masters degree in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies.

Naveh predicted that King Abdullah would fall and that he would be Jordan's last king, drawing an angry reaction from Jordan, for which Israel had to apologize on Naveh's behalf.

In 2008 Naveh's name was tied in with the alleged instructions to assassinate commanders in Palestinian terrorist organizations contrary to a court order. This alleged involvement was revealed through the documents leaked to Haaretz

Haaretz

Haaretz is Israel's oldest daily newspaper. It was founded in 1918 and is now published in both Hebrew and English in Berliner format. The English edition is published and sold together with the International Herald Tribune. Both Hebrew and English editions can be read on the Internet...

 journalist

Journalist

A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...

 Uri Blau

Uri Blau

Uri Blau is an Israeli journalist and currently an investigative reporter for the Haaretz newspaper, specializing in military affairs and exposing corruption.- Career :...

 by Naveh's former secretary, Anat Kamm.

After his military service, Naveh was appointed as CEO of CityPass, the consortium building the Jerusalem Light Rail

Jerusalem Light Rail

The Jerusalem Light Rail is a light rail line, the first of several rapid transit lines planned by Israel for Jerusalem, Israel's capital city. Construction began in 2002 and ended in 2010, when the testing phase began. It was built by the CityPass consortium, which has a 30-year concession to...

. In October, 2010, Defense Minister Ehud Barak has approved the appointment of Major General Yair Naveh, 53, as IDF Deputy Chief of Staff replacing Maj.-Gen. Benny Gantz. He was recommended for the post by the IDF Chief of Staff, Lieutenant-General Gabi Ashkenazi.

On February 1, 2011, General Naveh was appointed as the stopgap IDF Chief of Staff, and is set to succeed outgoing Chief of Staff Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi on February 14, 2011 (pending government approval). Naveh was appointed by Defense Minister Ehud Barak after Gen. Yoav Galant's appointment was withdrawn by Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

The following is a list of positions Major General Yair Naveh has held during his service in the IDF:

• 1989: Commander of the Brigade along the border with Lebanon
  Lebanon
  Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
  
  .
• 1991: Commander of the Golani Unit.
• 1994: Head of Safety Department of the Ground Forces.
• 1996: Chief Infantry and Paratroops officer.
• 1999: Commander of the Gaza Division.
• 2001: Chief of Staff of Army Headquarters.
• 2003: Awarded rank of Major General and appointed as GOC Homefront Command.
• 2005: Appointed GOC Central Command.
• 2010: Appointed Deputy Chief of Staff of IDF.