Outgoing defense minister Ehud Barak, IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz and other senior officials attended a ceremony on Tuesday morning to mark the beginning of Moshe Ya'alon's term as defense minister, Army Radio reported.
Ya'alon replaces Ehud Barak, who has served as defense minister for the last six years.
The ceremony was held at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv following Monday's swearing in of the new government. Other ceremonies are expected to continue throughout the day.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu appointed Moshe Ya'alon Defense Minister on Sunday as he tried to quell feuding over portfolios in a series of meetings with Likud MKs.
"In such a decisive time for Israel's security, when the area around us is stormy, it is important that an experienced man like Moshe Ya'alon have this job," Netanyahu said of the Defense Ministry. "In the name of all the citizens of Israel, I wish him luck." Ya'alon, 62, was IDF chief of staff from 2002-2005, and served in the military for 37 years.
"I will bring the best of my experience and values to this job, and I am determined to lead the IDF and defense branches to new heights, with responsibility and good judgment, in order to face the challenges of the future," he said, thanking the prime minister for appointing him.
Ya'alon emphasized the Iranian nuclear threat as the central challenge Israel is facing, adding also upheaval in the Arab world, threats in the north and from Gaza, issues with the Palestinians, and equality in the burden of national service as matters with which he will have to deal in the coming years.
In addition, Ya'alon said "the IDF is not a desert island," and will have to be part of the effort to stabilize the economy. In other words, the defense budget will face cuts.
Ya'alon thanked his predecessor in the job, Ehud Barak and said he feels privileged to work with IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz and the soldiers and commanders under him.