Eisenkot, 54, currently deputy to incumbent chief of staff, Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz, will take over in February when Gantz completes his four-year term.
Eisenkot was the senior commander of forces along Israel's northern border with Lebanon and Syria and among a several other top positions, served as military attache to former prime minister Ehud Barak.
Described by top officers as a level-headed, quiet thinker, Eisenkot rose through the ranks in the infantry. Apart from commanding forces along the southern Lebanon border, in more junior roles he also led troops in the occupied West Bank.
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