Following a day full of ceremonies -- at the Prime Minister's Office, the Western Wall and the Kirya military headquarters -- Gantz convened his first meeting of the General Staff and laid out his vision for the IDF as it prepares for challenges including possible confrontations with Hezbollah, Hamas and Iran, and the ongoing changes in Egypt. At his swearing-in ceremony at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, Gantz admitted that his path to the top military post was not easy. The army he said will know how to "adapt and prepare itself for future challenges. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu thanked outgoing chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. (res.) Gabi Ashkenazi and warned of the future challenges that await Gantz and the IDF. "We are preparing for every possibility, since we know in the end and particularly due to the upheaval in the region, that our existence and getting our neighbors to realize the importance of peace depends on the IDF," Netanyahu said.
