New IDF Legal Head
Maj. Gen. Itai Ofir Takes Over as IDF Military Advocate General Amid Deepening Turmoil
Ofir replaces Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned and was later arrested over her role in the Sde Teiman leak scandal.
Maj. Gen. Itai Ofir formally assumed the position of military advocate general yesterday (Thursday) after being promoted to Israel’s second-highest rank, the Israel Defense Forces announced, stepping into the role at one of the most tumultuous moments in the unit’s history.
Ofir succeeds Maj. Gen. Yifat Tomer-Yerushalmi, who resigned last month after admitting she had authorized the leak of surveillance footage depicting alleged mistreatment of a Palestinian detainee at the Sde Teiman detention facility.
The scandal has since widened. Earlier this month, Tomer-Yerushalmi and the IDF’s former chief prosecutor, Col. Matan Solomosh, were arrested as part of the ongoing police investigation into both the leak and the subsequent handling of the case.
Ofir takes command of the Military Advocate General’s Corps at a moment of internal crisis, with the unit under unprecedented scrutiny and several senior officers under investigation. The IDF said he will oversee all legal proceedings and continue “to safeguard the rule of law within the military” as the probe continues.