Northern Command (Israel)

The Northern Command (פִּקּוּד צָפוֹן, Pikud Tzafon, often abbreviated to Patzan) is a regional command in the Israel Defense Forces. The command, whose main headquarters is in Safed, is responsible for all the units located between Hermon and Netanya. The mission of the Northern Command is to protect Israel's northern borders with Syria and Lebanon.

History
During the wars in the 1960s and 70s, the Northern Command was in charge of the campaigns directed against Syria on the Golan Heights and the Lebanese border. During the 1970s and 80s, it mainly faced attacks from the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), which was driven to southern Lebanon following Black September. Beginning with the 1982 Lebanon War, the Northern Command faced attacks from Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group founded in 1982 to fight the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon.

In the early 1990s, it may have included a full active armoured division and a mechanised brigade; three to four reserve divisions; four to five reserve mechanised and infantry brigades; and four to five territorial infantry brigades.

During 2000, the Northern Command completed its withdrawal from the Security Zone in southern Lebanon and was dispatched along the UN-sanctioned border. Although Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon has been met with UN approval, Hezbollah continues its attacks, mainly in the Shebaa farms area of Mount Hermon, an area occupied by Israel from Syria and which Hezbollah claims as Lebanese territory.

Command organization 2024


The Northern Command commands regional units from Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights, to Netanya, with a significant presence in the Galilee and the Golan Heights.


 * PazanLogo.svg Northern Command, in Safed
 * Logo-ugda-36.png 36th Division "Ga'ash"
 * Golani tree color.svg 1st Infantry Brigade "Golani"
 * Etzioni-hativa-6 -NewBrigada.png 6th Infantry Brigade "Etzioni" (Reserve)
 * 7thArmoredBrigade.svg 7th Armored Brigade "Saar meGolan"
 * Hativa188.PNG 188th Armored Brigade "Barak"
 * Hativat Haesh 282.svg 282nd Artillery Brigade "Golan"
 * Logo-ugda-91.png 91st Division "HaGalil"
 * Alexandroni.svg 3rd Infantry Brigade "Alexandroni" (Reserve)
 * Logo hativa 8.png 8th Armored Brigade "HaZaken") (Reserve)
 * Logo-hativat-300.png 300th Territorial Brigade "Bar'am" – Western section of the Israel Lebanon border
 * Logo-hativa-769.png 769th Territorial Brigade "Hiram" – Eastern section of the Israel Lebanon border
 * Adirimlogo.png 7338th Artillery Brigade "Adirim" (Reserve)
 * Logo-ugda-319.png 146th Division "HaMapatz"
 * Brigade carmeli.png 2nd Infantry Brigade "Carmeli" (Reserve)
 * Kiryati.svg 4th Armored Brigade "Kiryati" (Reserve)
 * Logo hativa 514.png 205th Armored Brigade "Egrof HaBarzel" (Reserve)
 * Hativa nesher.png 226th Paratroopers Brigade "Nesher" (Reserve)
 * Logo hativa 228.png 228th Infantry Brigade "Alon" (Reserve)
 * Logo-otvat-hatkuma.png 213th Artillery Brigade "HaTkuma" (Reserve)
 * תג עוצבת הבשן.png 210th Division "HaBashan"
 * OdedBrigade.svg 9th Infantry Brigade "Oded" (Reserve)
 * Logo-hativa-434.png 679th Armored Brigade "Yiftach" (Reserve)
 * Logo-hativat-474- aGolan.png 474th Territorial Brigade "Golan" – Golan Heights sector
 * HermonBrigade.png 810th Mountain Brigade – Mount Hermon sector
 * Kidon209.png 209th Artillery Brigade "Kidon" (Reserve)
 * PazanTikshuvLogo.svg Northern Command Signals Battalion
 * Handasa pzn.png Northern Command Engineering Unit 801
 * ModiinZafonNew.svg Northern Command Intelligence Unit
 * Mz pzn.png Northern Command Military Police Unit 390
 * Refua pzn.png Northern Command Medical Unit
 * Yahsham651.png Northern Command Maintenance Unit 651
 * Bap Elikim.png Northern Command Training Base "Eliakim"
 * Almar 5001.png 5001st Logistics Unit "Northern Golan"
 * Almar 5002.png 5002nd Logistics Unit "Lebanon"
 * Almar 5003.png 5003rd Logistics Unit "Southern Golan"

Commanders

 * Moshe Carmel (1948–1949)
 * Yosef Avidar (1949–1952)
 * Moshe Dayan (1952)
 * Asaf Simhoni (1952–1954)
 * Moshe Tzadok (1954–1956)
 * Yitzhak Rabin (1956–1959)
 * Meir Zorea (1959–1962)
 * Avraham Yoffe (1962–1964)
 * David Elazar (1964–1969)
 * Mordechai Gur (1969–1972, 1974)
 * Yitzhak Hofi (1972–1974)
 * Rafael Eitan (1974–1977)
 * Avigdor Ben Gal (1977–1981)
 * Amir Drori (1981–1983)
 * Ori Orr (1983–1986)
 * Yossi Peled (1986–1991)
 * Yitzhak Mordechai (1991–1994)
 * Amiram Levin (1994–1998)
 * Gabi Ashkenazi (1998–2002)
 * Benny Gantz (2002–2005)
 * Udi Adam (2005–2006)
 * Gadi Eizenkot (2006–2011)
 * Yair Golan (2011–2014)
 * Aviv Kochavi (2014–2017)
 * Yoel Strick (2017–2019)
 * Amir Baram (2019–2022)
 * Ori Gordin (2022–)