Israeli Ground Forces

Israeli Ground Forces
Israeli Ground Forces
זרוע היבשה‎
	Emblem of the Israeli Ground Forces
	Flag of the Israeli Ground Forces
Founded	1948
Service branches	Infantry Corps; Armored Corps; Artillery Corps; Engineering Corps; Intelligence Corps;
Headquarters	GOC Army Headquarters (Bar-Lev Camp)
Website	Official website
Leadership
Prime Minister	Benjamin Netanyahu
Defense Minister	Yoav Galant
Chief of the General Staff	Herzi Halevi
General Officer Commanding	Major General Tamir Yadai
Personnel
Active personnel	126,000
Reserve personnel	400,000
Industry
Domestic suppliers	Israel Military Industries; Israel Weapon Industries; Elbit Systems; Elisra; Elta; Rafael;
Foreign suppliers	Germany; United States;
Related articles
History	1948 Arab–Israeli War (1948–1949); Reprisal operations (1951–1956); Suez Crisis (1956); Six-Day War (1967); War of Attrition (1967–1970); Yom Kippur War (1973); 1978 South Lebanon conflict (1978); 1982 Lebanon War (1982–1985); South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000); First Intifada (1987–1993); Second Intifada (2000–2005); 2006 Lebanon War (2006); Operation Cast Lead (2008–2009); Operation Pillar of Defense (2012); Operation Protective Edge (2014); Others
Ranks	Israel Defense Forces ranks

The Israeli Ground Forces (Hebrew: זרוע היבשה) are the ground forces of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). The commander is the General Officer Commanding with the rank of Major General, the Mazi, subordinate to the Chief of General Staff.

An order from Defense Minister David Ben-Gurion on 26 May 1948 officially set up the Israel Defense Forces as a conscript army formed out of the paramilitary group Haganah, incorporating the militant groups Irgun and Lehi. The Ground Forces have served in all the country's major military operations—including the 1948 Arab–Israeli War, 1956 Suez Crisis, 1967 Six-Day War, 1973 Yom Kippur War, 1976 Operation Entebbe, 1982 Lebanon War, 1987–1993 First Intifada, 2000–2005 Second Intifada, 2006 Lebanon War, and the Gaza War (2008–09). While originally the IDF operated on three fronts—against Lebanon and Syria in the north, Jordan and Iraq in the east, and Egypt in the south—after the 1979 Egyptian–Israeli Peace Treaty, it has concentrated in southern Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories, including the First and the Second Intifada.

The Ground Forces uses several technologies developed in Israel such as the Merkava main battle tank, Achzarit armoured personnel carrier, the Iron Dome missile defense system, Trophy active protection system for vehicles, and the Galil and Tavor assault rifles. The Uzi submachine gun was invented in Israel and used by the Ground Forces until December 2003, ending a service that began in 1954. Since 1967, the IDF has had close military relations with the United States,^[3] including development cooperation, such as on the THEL laser defense system, and the Arrow missile defense system.

^ "General Staff". Israel Defense Forces. Archived from the original on 28 March 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2020.
^ ^a ^b International Institute for Strategic Studies (15 February 2023). The Military Balance 2023. London: Routledge. p. 331. ISBN 9781032508955.
^ Mahler, Gregory S. (1990). Israel After Begin. SUNY Press. p. 45. ISBN 978-0-7914-0367-9.