Army Radio reports that Col. Ami Biton, the former Paratroopers Brigade commander, will leave the IDF in the coming weeks and will not be promoted to brigadier general, following an internal probe that found he mistreated subordinates. Biton was censured for the misconduct. The move is the first time in over 50 years that a Paratroopers Brigade commander has not been promoted to brigadier general.
Col. Ami Biton, the former commander of the IDF's Paratroopers Brigade, will end his 27 years of service without the promotion to brigadier general that has been standard for every previous holder of the post in over half a century, Army Radio's Moriah Asraf and Doron Kadosh reported Monday morning.
The IDF confirmed that Biton's retirement follows an investigation that found he mistreated subordinates, including abusive and discriminatory behavior. Biton was censured for the misconduct. The probe was conducted under the previous Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, and Central Command chief Yehuda Blot issued only a reprimand. However, current Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir—who took office after the affair—is said to have taken a harder line, declining to promote Biton to brigadier general in an August 2025 appointments round. All other regular brigade commanders have since been promoted, with half now serving as division commanders.
In his farewell speech as brigade commander, Biton apologized if he had harmed anyone. Despite that, he will leave the IDF in the coming weeks without the expected promotion. The IDF spokesperson stated that Biton will end his service in accordance with his request.
2 developments
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- DevelopingSenior officer Avi Biton to petition court over Ben Gvir-brokered deputy police chief promise
- DevelopingOpinion: Amidror's son insists on staying in IDF despite dismissal order; father accused of lacking disclosure
- DevelopingEisenkot: Any organization head who declares loyalty to me, not state, will be fired
Source and signal
- Internal intake