Israel appoints new air force chief

Israeli Minister of Defense Ehud Barak on Sunday approved the army's recent decision to appoint Maj. -Gen Amir Eshel as the new commander of the Israel Air Force (IAF), since his predecessor, Maj.-Gen. Ido Nehushtan, steps down in April, the army said. Local media reports in recent weeks said the decision was delayed over sharp disagreement between Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Gantz and Barak over the latter's demand to be involved in the selection process. Barak and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, both of whom have more than hinted that Israel is gearing for a military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities, have also sought to assess the opinions of the candidates for the top post regarding the viability of such a strike, according to a Yediot Aharonot newspaper report. A former IAF deputy commander, Eshel, 53, currently heads the military's planning directorate. In the past he served as commander of an F-4 Phantom fighter jet squadron, two major air bases, and as head of the IAF's air division. Eshel has so far declined to publicly state his position regarding a possible strike on Iran's uranium enrichment plants, which Israel and the West claim are intended to produce nuclear weaponry. "(The decision to strike) is up to the government and the military would provide it with a 'tool box' of options," Eshel said in a briefing to foreign correspondents and diplomats in Jerusalem late last year, adding, "We have the ability to hit any adversary very, very hard." Another officer who until recently was considered a leading contender for the post is Maj.-Gen. Yohanan Locker, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's military secretary and close confidant. Last week, army chief Gantz dismissed reports that he was being pressured to appoint Locker, who now awaits nomination as the next military attache in Washington. "I have never been pressured and have never been spoken to about this ... I make the appointments in the military according to what I think is right," The Jerusalem Post quoted Gantz as saying.