Ghassan Alian
| Ghassan Alian | |
|---|---|
| Native name | רסאן עליאן |
| Born | 21 March 1972 |
| Allegiance |
 Israel |
| Service/branch | Israel Defense Forces |
| Years of service | 1990– |
| Rank |
 Aluf Mishne |
| Unit | Golani Brigade |
| Battles/wars |
|
Ghassan Elian, or Rasan Alian (Hebrew: רסאן עליאן; born 21 March 1972), is the commanding officer of the Golani Brigade, a colonel by rank.[1] He is the first non-Jewish commander of the brigade[1][2] and the second Druze officer to command an Israel Defense Forces infantry brigade; the first was Imad Fares, commander of the Givati Brigade.[3] Alian is the highest ranking Druze in the IDF and has served since 1990.[1]
Career
He was previously the commander of the Duchifat Battalion, a reserve unit commander with the Alexandroni Brigade,[3] and commander of the Menashe District Brigade near Jenin in the West Bank.[4] He had taken officer training at the same time as Naftali Bennett, Minister of the Economy, who praised Alian's selection as Golani Brigade commander by calling him "a brother".[4] Prior to his appointment to the post of commander, Alian served as the brigade's deputy commander along with other appointments.[4] In October 2013 Benny Gantz, the IDF's chief of staff, made the appointment.[3]
Alian was wounded in a battle on 19 July 2014 during overnight clashes in the northern Gaza Strip as part of Operation Protective Edge.[1] He was lightly injured in his eye, but his vision was not affected.[1] He was evacuated to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba and while being treated he reportedly stated, "I have a lot of soldiers over there and I need to get back to them".[1] He later returned to his soldiers after being treated.[5]
Personal
Alian is from Shefa-'Amr.[4] His wife, Shirin, works as a Hebrew teacher in a local school. They have three children.[6]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Jones, Ryan (20 July 2014). "IDF Brigade Commander Wounded Leading Troops into Battle". Israel Today. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ↑ "IDF Brigade Commander Injured in Fighting". The Jewish Press. 20 July 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Zitun, Yaov (24 October 2013). "IDF: First Druze to command Golani Brigade". Y Netnews. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Fiske, Gavriel (24 October 2013). "In first, Druze officer to lead Golani Brigade". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ↑ Pfeffer, Anshel. "In Gaza, a war of two narratives". Haaretz. Retrieved 2 September 2014.
- ↑ Avraham, Rachel (20 July 2014). "Wife of Wounded Golani Brigade Commander: 'I worry but he's brave'". Jerusalem Online. Retrieved 21 August 2014.