Israel’s New Shadow Commander: Goldfuss Tapped to Tame Distant Threats 

Last night (Tuesday), the IDF announced the appointment of Maj. Gen. Dan Goldfuss as commander of the Depth Corps, a unit established more than a decade ago by then-Chief of Staff Benny Gantz. Originally intended to plan and execute long-range special operations deep inside enemy territory and to command Israel’s elite units in wartime, the Depth Corps has remained largely sidelined during the current war.

In practice, special forces like Sayeret Matkal and Shayetet 13 have operated under direct command of maneuvering divisions or regional commands. Even high-stakes deep-strike missions, like Operation “Rabot HaDrachim” by Unit Shaldag to destroy an Iranian missile base in Syria, or Shayetet 13’s naval abduction of a Hezbollah operative off Lebanon’s coast, were conducted without any operational input from the Depth Corps.

Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, who considered dismantling the unit, instead opted to radically redefine its mission. He has now tasked Goldfuss with a new strategic brief: commanding operations in Israel’s “second circle”, arenas far beyond the country’s immediate borders that still pose significant threats.

This expanded mandate includes the Houthis in Yemen, Shiite militias in Iraq, and deep Syrian territory.

Maj. Gen. Goldfuss, who had hoped to be appointed head of Northern Command, accepted the revamped Depth Corps role. His mission is now to lead Israel’s growing focus on long-range threats in theaters hundreds of kilometers from home. Until now, no IDF General Staff body was directly responsible for these distant zones—unlike the regional commands that oversee Israel’s frontiers. That responsibility now falls squarely on Goldfus’s shoulders.