Nehushtan, outgoing chief of the military's Planning Branch, replaced
Maj. Gen. Eliezer Shkedy who ends his four-year term as air force commander.
Shkedy presided over the air force during the 34-day with Hizbullah in 2006.
The 51-year-old Nehushtan spent much of his career as a combat pilot,
flying the F-4 and F-16 warplanes. He later commanded F-16 squadrons and
"developed unique night-time operational capabilities and highly accurate
weaponry," a military statement said.
Military sources said Nehushtan would play a major role in the
military's plans for an invasion of the Gaza Strip. The sources said a plan
for a comprehensive invasion of Gaza and the destruction of the Hamas regime
has been approved by Ashkenazi and Barak and required confirmation by Prime
Minister Ehud Olmert.
Hours after Nehushtan's appointment, a senior Islamic Jihad commander
was killed in a blast in the central Gaza Strip. The blast destroyed the
home of the apparent target, Ayman Fayed, and damaged six adjacent homes.
Fayed, his wife and three of his sons were killed in the Palestinian
refugee camp of Bureij. Three of Fayad's neighbors also died, and another 80
were reported injured.
Palestinian sources said Fayed's three-story house was used to store
Kassam-class missiles. Jihad said an F-16 aircraft dropped a bomb on Fayed's
home. Israel denied any involvement in the bombing.