JERUSALEM, April 6 (UPI) -- Lt. Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, head of the Israeli general staff, was told Tuesday his term will not be extended when it ends in February 2011, officials say.
Ashkenazi met with Defense Minister Ehud Barak, The Jerusalem Post reported. Barak told him Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supports his decision against extending Ashkenazi's term by a fifth year.
The government has extended the terms of the heads of the two security agencies, Mossad and Shin Bet. Ashkenazi reportedly wanted to stay on for a fifth year because Israel is under threat from Iran and from Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.
Barak reportedly told Ashkenazi both he and the president have great regard for the general and are sure he will continue to do his job well and to prepare the Israeli Army for future challenges during the rest of his term.
