The outgoing Air Force Commander, Major General Tomer Bar, delivered a farewell speech today (Tuesday) at the Air Force Commander's Change of Command ceremony, in which he summarized his term of office - and during which he referred to the events of the war and the failures of the October Seven.
From now on, officially, Major General Omer Tishler is the commander of the Air Force.
Bar said in his speech: "Over four years ago, I could not have known what a turbulent, challenging, painful, exciting, full of upheavals and historic events this tenure would be.".
He emphasized that it was "a term of war - a war for our lives as a sovereign Jewish state in which the Air Force was at the core of the IDF's capabilities." He added that all of the service members "fought like lions - and I am very proud of that.".
Bar referred to the period of refusal during the days of legal reform: "At the beginning of my term, we were in the eye of the social storm... We drew the clear line between politics and influence and the cleanliness of the IDF.".
Bar emphasized the danger facing the force at that time: "We were only one step away from undermining the foundations of the Air Force.".
He noted that despite this, they managed to maintain competence and cohesion, especially with the outbreak of war.
Referring to October 7, he said: "October 7 was the greatest disaster we have experienced since the Holocaust. We were not there for the civilians. It happened on my watch. The entire IDF failed that morning. The force was surprised, we were all surprised.".
According to him, from the moment the events began, "from 06:29 we immediately acted to carry out our missions... For the first time in the history of the Air Force, our mission was to protect the citizens of the country when the war was taking place within the country's territory.".
He added that the air defense system intercepted hundreds of missiles and that the unit's fighters "charged bravely," but noted that "it was not enough.".
He later noted that the Air Force conducted an in-depth investigation into the events of the war: "We asked ourselves again and again - how could we have been better... We drew conclusions and learned lessons.".
According to him, the corps is currently implementing the lessons learned and continues to operate "shoulder to shoulder" with the ground forces.
He continued his remarks by calling for the establishment of an external investigation mechanism into the events of the October massacre: "It is clear to everyone that the complete picture will only become clear after the work of an external and objective investigative committee.".
He concluded his remarks by saying: "I love the State of Israel. I was privileged to be among its guardians, it's as simple as that. And that's so much.".
Join the Haredim 10 Facebook page >>
Join the X page of Haredim 10 >>
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
