The women shaping Israel's front line strategy against Iran: Inside the IDF's war bunker

From Yemen to Tehran, these lieutenant-colonels lead critical operations while balancing family life and military duty.

It’s 7:30 p.m., supposedly just another regular evening. In reality, it is part of the war routine inside the Operations Division of the IDF General Staff at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv.

For Lt.-Col. M., head of the Planning and Operational Execution Branch, and her colleagues, the workday is far from over. Operation Rising Lion may be behind them, but the Swords of Iron War continues. They are there, working around the clock.

Just after being called to an urgent and undisclosed event via the red phone next to her – the secure military line referred to as the SLC – and issuing clear directives, Lt.-Col. M. is asked about the possibility of a female chief of staff. She responds confidently: “Wherever you place women in leadership, they can do it better than men, because they see farther and don’t work from ego.”

Then she clarifies: “This is in general. For a female chief of staff, our society is not yet prepared or ready.”

Lt.-Col. M. (40), married and a mother of four, is one of several female lieutenant-colonels in the Operations Division, including those who served during the campaign against Iran. These women, driven by ambition and a sense of mission, recall that when they enlisted nearly two decades ago, the military’s attitude toward women was markedly different. Today, they are determined to prove that gender is not a factor in military roles.

“Nine years ago, when I was pregnant with my twins, I went to a job interview with a brigadier-general,” M. recalls. “He immediately looked at my belly and said, ‘Big belly.’ When I explained I was having twins, he asked, ‘Do you think you’ll manage this job with four kids?’ For me, that interview ended at that moment. It continued, but the result was clear."

“I was furious,” she continued, “and I swore to myself I would never ask my subordinates such a question from a judgmental place. I would care about their well-being, of course, but out of interest and sensitivity, not questioning their abilities. I moved to another role, but that remark stayed with me. Fortunately, when I interviewed for the role I hold today, it was the opposite. The general who interviewed me said, ‘We won’t go easy on you because you’re a mother of four. You’re here to do the most important mission in the IDF.’ That’s how it should be. No leniency, because there’s no difference between men and women.”

“There are more female officers than male officers in the Operations Division – from second lieutenants to lieutenant-colonels. When I needed to do lighter duties because I had babies at home, I did them. It's our responsibility as women to choose where we are in different stages of life. Being a woman is not a factor,” she concludes.

In their current roles, these female lieutenant-colonels no longer need to prove themselves.

Overseeing operations in Yemen and distant fronts

Lt.-Col. Y. (38), married and a mother of two, is responsible for medium-distance threats. She leads operational procedures, directs processes, and oversees operations in Yemen and other regions.

“Every strike, every covert operation in the area is led by my team,” she says. “We are responsible for making sure the chief of staff’s directives are implemented on the ground, that everyone is aligned with the General Staff’s instructions, in collaboration with the Navy, Air Force, Military Intelligence, and others. I am responsible for coordinating with them.”

She was present earlier this month when the Israeli air force attacked ports in Yemen, and she served throughout Operation Rising Lion. It wasn’t easy, not only professionally.

“Personally, these were complex days. I was here in the bunker a few days before the operation started, and my husband, also in the military, was at his base. The children were with my parents, who are almost 80 years old and have a bomb shelter at home. I knew the kids were in the best hands, but I worried about my parents. It was hard with what I was imposing on them. They tried to reassure me, to signal that everything was okay when I could talk to them, but it was hard. I cried once or twice. And whenever I felt it was possible, when a few hours of calm were expected, I rushed to hug the kids and hurried back here.”

Lt.-Col. O. (35), married and a mother of one, heads the Cyber Arena. She is responsible for electronic warfare and for maintaining communication infrastructure “so that every pilot flying over Iran’s skies can communicate with the bunker.”

She is used to what she calls “emergency events” and has often had to return to the bunker on weekends, “to regulate the Home Front Command forces or to dispatch a plane to provide communication in Judea and Samaria during an attack.”

“Operation Rising Lion was a form of correction after the October 7 disaster,” she says. “There’s no one in uniform, especially those who’ve been in the military for a long time, who didn’t take October 7 hard. It doesn’t matter what role you’re in, whether your unit was involved or not – it’s a tough failure. It was difficult for me to get up in the morning and put on the uniform. In the end, when you grasp the situation, there’s a great pride in serving in the military at such a historic time, with the belief that in the end, we will win.”

She describes the operation as “an exemplary campaign with an excellent combat procedure. The synchronization was amazing, and it was a great honor to be part of it.”

During the operation, she saw her daughter once or twice. “It was hard because the meeting ended quickly, then there’s drama, and a child crying, holding you in your uniform and saying ‘Don’t go,’” she says.

Lt.-Col. R. (40), married and a mother of two, heads the Home Front arena and serves as a link between the Home Front Command and the General Staff. “It’s like being a control tower, seeing the big picture,” she explains.

During the war with Iran, she was too busy for four days to even make a video call with her children. In the ongoing emergency routine of the past 21 months, she has found alternative ways to maintain family connection, including reading bedtime stories over video and explaining the importance of her role.

“For example, during Operation Rising Lion, I explained that I was responsible for ensuring the sirens would go off,” she says. “For making sure there was someone in the news studios to guide people on how to behave to protect their lives.”

The officers all speak of a “personal rigid protocol” – significant family events that justify their absence from the bunker, even briefly. The protocol applies to fathers as well.

R. recounts: “It happened that my son missed his first-grade graduation party simply because I didn’t have it on my radar, I didn’t put it in the schedule. I consoled myself knowing he didn’t realize he missed it, but I felt bad, and yes, I cried a little in the office. But I don’t focus on the price, because what my children gain is much bigger.”

“Our actions make it possible for them to have a country to live in, especially these days when antisemitism is rising worldwide. The hatred and evil of our enemies surprise us every time, and we are here to stop it and ensure that children continue to go to the playgrounds without fear.”

She was present when the decision was made to provide the public with advance warning before the sirens during Operation Rising Lion.

“There were many discussions about it – what’s right and what’s not, how the citizens would feel,” R. recalls. “We also conducted learning debriefs along the way, and that’s how it was decided, for example, that a warning 30 minutes before the siren is unnecessary, while a 10-minute advance warning is very important. This gives enough time to prepare and reach a protected area. Civil defense is part of the campaign, and fortunately, people cooperated, and the number of casualties was incredibly low compared to the tens of thousands of strike items.”

She notes that while there were fatalities from direct hits on bomb shelters in Petah Tikva and Beersheba, such outcomes remain statistically rare.

“It could happen, at a low probability. It’s like you could be involved in a car accident even though you’re wearing a seatbelt. We, of course, continue to investigate to understand if there’s anything more we can instruct the public to do to increase security.”

Lt.-Col. L. (41), married and a mother of two, heads the recruitment division. She refers to her field as working with “the heart of the IDF.”

“Reservists are the force multiplier of the IDF’s strength, and I am responsible for managing processes in this context at the General Staff level,” she explains. “We are in constant communication with the government to reflect the manpower situation, for example, in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, when it’s time to extend mobilization orders.”

“In emergencies, we are responsible for planning the force structure – which systems we want to operate against the directives given to us – and we examine this in relation to the force compositions and their readiness.”

Since the start of the Swords of Iron War, her division implemented a “preparation day” procedure, giving reservists a few extra days to reset after their mission.

Recently, many reservists have spoken of burnout.

“They’re burned out, but highly motivated,” says L. “We, the career officers, are a bit burned out too, but in the end, we all have a spark in our eyes, and we want to win. And we will win.”

In an effort to ease the burden on reservists, her team monitors data trends and social media to identify concerns and advise commanders accordingly.