Maj.-Gen. Tomer Bar requested to retire after four years as Israel Air Force chief, despite IDF efforts to keep him on amid ongoing operations against Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, N12 reported.
The Israel Air Force commander Maj.-Gen. Tomer Bar requested to end his tenure as air force chief after four years, and to not extend his tenure in the role for another year, N12 reported on Sunday.
This would mean that Bar is slated to end his tenure in April, retiring from military service.
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The IDF had urged Bar to remain in his role in light of his achievements during Israel's war with Hamas, as well as actions taken by IAF in striking Iran, Hezbollah, the Houthis in Yemen, and other terror infrastructure and forces since October 7, 2023, the report added.
In addition, the Turgeman Committee, which probed responsibilities for the failures of October 7 found that there was no fault in the IAF.
However, the results of a probe published in February noted that Bar did not participate in a General Staff consultation on October 6, which meant that the IAF was not prepared for a large-scale raid.
Israeli Air Force chief Tomer Bar and IDF chief Eyal Zamir seen in operational assessments during the war with Iran, June 13, 2025 (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)
Before these probes were published, rumors spread by IAF sources circulated in January that Bar was planning to resign.
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The two officers most likely to replace Bar as IAF chief are current IAF Chief of Staff Brig.-Gen. Omer Tischler and Brig.-Gen. Eyal Greenbaum.
Bar's career in the IDF
Bar enlisted in the IAF pilots course in 1987. He commanded the Hatzerim Flight School between 2010 and 2012, before commanding Tel Nof Airbase for two years.
In 2014, he was appointed as head of the Air Operations Directorate; a role he held for three years. He was then appointed as IAF Chief of Staff, a position he held for two years.
In 2020, he was promoted to Major-General, and joined the IDF's General Staff as head of the Planning Directorate, before being appointed as IAF commander in September 2021, ascending to the position in April 2022.
Yonah Jeremy Bob, Avi Ashkenazi, and Amir Bohbot contributed to this report.
[SRC] https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/iaf-chief-tomer-bar-not-024935175.html
