At handover ceremony, outgoing Air Force chief calls for ‘external’ Oct. 7 inquiry

Tomer Bar says ‘objective’ inquiry essential ‘for trust’ between citizens and country; regarding Iran, new chief Omer Tischler says ready ‘to take entire Air Force eastward, if required’

In his parting speech as chief of the Israeli Air Force, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar on Tuesday called for an “external” committee to investigate the failures of the October 7, 2023, terror onslaught, something the government has resisted forming for nearly three years.

During the handover ceremony at the Tel Nof Airbase, Maj. Gen. Omer Tischler took over as head of the IAF from Bar, who served in the role for the past four years, during a tenure that included protests by pilots, Hamas’s October 7 attack, and major operations against Iran amid a war on multiple fronts. Bar is ending a 39-year career in the military.

The IAF handover ceremony was initially set for April, but was delayed due to the recent war in Iran.

“It is clear to all that the full picture will become clear only after the work of an objective external investigation committee,” Bar said at the handover ceremony.

“This is essential for the IDF, for all the security bodies in the state, for the [bereaved] families… and for the trust between the citizens and the IDF and the country that is supposed to protect them,” he said.

The IAF conducted its own inquiry into Hamas’s October 7 assault, which found that the number of aircraft it had on standby did not apply to a wide-scale surprise attack; the IAF did not know at the time where to focus its firepower, due to a lack of information coming from the ground; and a series of airstrikes carried out on Hamas tunnel networks likely had no effect on the invasion.

Despite polls consistently showing a substantial majority of Israelis want a state commission of inquiry to be established, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition have rejected attempts to establish one. They say a commission should only be set up after the war is concluded, and reject a state commission appointed by the Supreme Court chief, claiming it would be biased against them.

During the 2023 protests against the coalition’s judicial overhaul, over 1,100 Israeli Air Force reservists, including more than 400 pilots, announced that they would suspend their volunteer reserve duty in protest of the government’s agenda to overhaul the judicial system.

During the handover ceremony, Bar said the IAF was “only a step away” from its foundations being undermined amid the judicial overhaul protests.

“At the beginning of my tenure, we were in the eye of the storm, with the outbreak of the protests against the judicial reform,” Bar said. “We drew the clear boundary line between politics and influence and the IDF.”

“This was not easy, but we fought to preserve the competence and cohesion of the Air Force, and its designation as the defender of Israel, under all conditions, so that no opinion or stance not directly related to the mission of safeguarding the security of the state would enter within its walls,” Bar said.

He added that today, he still stands by this decision not to allow protests to enter the IAF. At the time, Bar released a letter giving the protesting pilots a two-week deadline to return to volunteer service or risk being deemed unfit to continue flying and potentially dismissed from the military.

“We were only a step away from undermining the foundations of the Air Force. And nevertheless, when the war broke out, all the servicemen and women proved devotion and resilience on the day of command, on October 7, and also when we faced the challenges of the war in seven arenas simultaneously,” Bar said.

Transitioning to the war with Iran, Bar said that Israel would maintain its ability to act independently against Iran, following the joint war with the United States against the Islamic Republic.

“We fought Iran shoulder to shoulder with the number one superpower in the world, in cooperation and with unprecedented operational achievements.”

“We shared the most intimate intelligence, worked together on the plans, and flew together, two air forces that are a tremendous and unified force,” Bar continued.

He said the IAF “will preserve this capability, but we will also not give up our ability to act independently.”

“Even at these very moments, we are alert and prepared for any development, in defense and in offense,” Bar added amid fears the Iran ceasefire could break down.

Also speaking at the handover ceremony, incoming IAF chief Tischler said the force was “closely monitoring” the situation in Iran.

“We are closely monitoring what is happening in Iran, and are prepared to take the entire Air Force eastward, if we are required to do so,” he said.

“We will not allow enemies to gain strength on our borders,” he added, “the Air Force will operate and will continue to operate — with determination, strength and responsibility to eliminate threats, in every arena, at every range, against every enemy.”

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir also spoke at the ceremony, saying that the military is “prepared to respond with force” if Iran targets Israel amid the escalation in the Gulf.

“Our forces are deployed across all sectors, fighting and prepared in immediate readiness for any scenario — from near and from far,” Zamir said, adding that “the IDF, in all its systems, maintains high readiness.”

Zamir said the military is “closely monitoring developments in the Persian Gulf” and is “prepared to respond with force against any attempt to harm Israel.”

Tischler and Zamir’s comments come amid rising tensions between the United States and Iran, with the threat of the ceasefire collapsing and continued hostilities.

US President Donald Trump said earlier on Tuesday that if he were to order a return to war against Iran, it would probably take 2-3 weeks to achieve his aims, which would also likely involve the Israeli Air Force.

Tischler, 50, joined the military in 1993 and served as a fighter jet pilot. He later commanded the 140th and 119th squadrons and the IAF’s flight school.

In 2019, he was promoted to brigadier general and appointed to head the Nevatim Air Base — home to numerous squadrons, including F-35 stealth fighters. In 2021, Tischler was appointed head of air operations, a role he served in until August 2023.

In late September 2023, he became IAF chief of staff — a role akin to a deputy, which focuses on force build-up and other administrative matters — just 11 days before Hamas’s terror onslaught.

Ahead of the latest war with Iran, Tischler was appointed as a sort of military envoy to the Pentagon, since Israel no longer has a permanent defense attaché to the US, due to a clash between Zamir and Defense Minister Israel Katz.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.