General, diplomat and true friend

General, diplomat and true friend

On April 8, 2024, a week after the targeted killing in Damascus of Iranian General Hassan Mahdavi, Israel Defense Forces leadership understood that Iran would retaliate by launching hundreds of ballistic missiles, drones and cruise missiles toward Israel. When this alarming intelligence reached then-IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, his immediate response was to pick up the telephone. "Erik," he said into the receiver, "I need your help." Erik is…