Defense Minister Israel Katz has named three senior Israeli generals as candidates for the next commander of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) following the resignation of IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi. The candidates are Maj. Gen. Amir Baram, the current IDF deputy chief of staff; Maj. Gen. (res.) Eyal Zamir, the Defense Ministry director general; and Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai, the former Ground Forces chief. Katz intends to carry out an expedited procedure to appoint the new chief of staff as soon as possible to address the security challenges facing Israel. The process normally takes three months, but will be accelerated due to Halevi's resignation in six weeks.