Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz has nominated Major General Herzi Halevi as the country’s next army chief, his office said on Sunday. The nomination of Halevi, who serves as deputy to outgoing Chief of General Staff Aviv Kohavi, will be discussed by an advisory committee in the coming days before the government gives its approval, Gantz’s office said. Halevi is due to take up his new position in February next year, the defence ministry told AFP, after Kohavi’s term ends. Gantz considered Halevi “the most suitable officer” for the position due to his “extensive operational experience in a variety of theatres of operation” and his “commanding abilities and attitude to various military issues”, the defence ministry said in a statement. Born in Jerusalem in 1967 to a religious family, Halevi was enlisted in 1985 as a paratrooper and advanced in various command positions before joining the elite Sayeret Matkal commando unit in 1993, according to the Israeli army’s website.