Claim: Herzi Halevi, Chief of the General Staff of Israel Defence Forces (IDF), was killed in a drone attack by Hezbollah on 13 October.
Fact: Herzi Halevi was not killed in a drone attack and has since appeared in a press conference.
On 13 October, social media users began sharing posts claiming that the Israeli Chief of General Staff had been killed after a Hezbollah drone attack in Israel on the same day. One X (formerly Twitter) user @SilentlySirs wrote (archive), “BREAKING: HERZI HALEVI ISRAELI CHEIF OF STAFF HAS BEEN ASSASSINATED”
The Pakistani news channel 24 News HD also reported that “Hezbollah claimed Israel’s Chief of Staff, Herzi Halevi, was killed in a drone attack on the Golani Brigade in Haifa.”
Herzi Halevi
Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, the Chief of General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), is currently leading Israel’s military operations against Hamas in Gaza. Halevi has a long and distinguished military career, beginning as a paratrooper and later commanding the elite Sayeret Matkal, with extensive experience in Lebanon, Gaza, and military intelligence. A detailed profile of the Lieutenant General published by The Economist noted that he took command during a tumultuous period marked by internal divisions over proposed Supreme Court reforms under Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government.
Known for his strong commitment to ethical and legal standards in warfare, he has been a vocal advocate for maintaining moral conduct, particularly in urban combat where civilians are involved. However, the ongoing Gaza conflict, with heavy civilian casualties, has tested these principles, The Economist stated. Halevi also accepted responsibility for the intelligence failures that led to Hamas’s surprise attack on 7 October 2023.
Hezbollah drone attack
On 13 October, a Hezbollah drone attack struck an army base in central Israel, killing four soldiers and severely wounding seven others. According to the AP, which quoted the Israeli military, this was the deadliest strike by Hezbollah since Israel launched its ground invasion of Lebanon nearly two weeks ago. Israel’s National Rescue Service reported that the attack wounded 61 people. Such a high number of injuries from drones or missiles is rare, given Israel’s advanced air defence systems, the AP added. Hezbollah and Israel have been trading fire almost daily since the war in Gaza began, with the fight escalating steadily.
According to the BBC, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the attack on 13 October, stating that it targeted a training camp of the IDF’s Golani Brigade, located between Tel Aviv and Haifa. Citing the group’s media office, the BBC added that the strike was in response to Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon and Beirut on Thursday, 10 October. The same report further noted that Hezbollah claimed to have used a “swarm of drones” to target the camp in northern Israel.
Soon after, rumours circulated on social media that the Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi was among those killed in the attack.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check investigated the claim and found no credible evidence, reporting or official confirmation of Halevi’s assassination. However, several reliable news reports did confirm his visit to the Golani base following Hezbollah’s attack.
On 14 October, an IDF post (archive) on X quoted Lieutenant General Halevi from the Golani Brigade Training Base, where the attack occurred, stating, “We are at war, and an attack on a training base on the home front is difficult, and the results are painful.”
According to The Jerusalem Post, Halevi visited the Golani Brigade training base on Monday to conduct an initial investigation with officers and speak to the medical teams. The visit came after a Hezbollah drone strike on the base, which killed four and wounded others, the report added. “We are at war, and an attack on a training base on the home front is difficult. The results are painful,” Halevi was quoted saying in the report. “You operated well to treat and evacuate the wounded. Embrace the bereaved families, accompany the wounded, and strengthen the commanders and soldiers.”
On 16 October, Halevi appeared at a press conference in which he claimed that “Hezbollah is hiding its casualties and doesn’t say, and on the other side, it imagines casualties on our side.” He further added that Hezbollah was in a “difficult situation” and concluded the press conference by saying, “We must continue to widen this gap and continue to do so to protect our people and harm their operatives.”
His recent media appearances confirms that he is alive. Soch Fact Check, therefore, rates the claim as false.
Virality
The claim was shared here, here, here, here, here, and here on X. Archived here, here, here, here, here, and here.
On Facebook, it was shared here, here, here, here, and here.
It was also shared here, here, and here on Threads.
Conclusion: Herzi Halevi was not killed in a drone attack by Hezbollah on 13 October. His recent appearance in the media confirms that Israel’s General Chief of Staff is alive.
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Background image in cover photo: Alamy/The Economist
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