Yaakov Ayash appointed military attaché in Washington

Major-General Yaakov Ayash has been appointed military attaché in Washington after Defense Minister Ehud Barak approved IDF Chief Benny Gantz's appointment.

Ayash, who is replacing Major-General Gadi Shamni, has previously served as Head of the Operations Directorate in the IDF's general staff, and could be the new authority that will coordinate between Israel and the US regarding a possible attack on a nuclear Iran.

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Ayash, 49, will begin his new position in a few months. In 1981 he was drafted to the IDF’s Armored Corps where he served as a combat soldier, an officer and a company commander. He took part in and commanded operational activities throughout his entire service.

In 1990, he was appointed commander of the Gaash Battalion in the 7th Armored Brigade and given the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Later, between the years 1996-1999, he was given the rank of Colonel and commanded a reserves brigade in the Armored Corps as well as the center for Armored Corps and Engineering Corps training at the National Urban Training Center.

Between the years 1999-2001 he was the commander of the 7th Armored Brigade in the Golan Heights. He further served as Head of the Ground Forces’ Headquarters between the years 2005-2008 and during the Second Lebanon War.

With Ayash's appointment approved by Barak and Gantz, General Avi Mizrachi, who was also vying for the coveted position, has been taken out of the running – a move which might lead to his retirement from the IDF.

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