Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer announced today that Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Moshe (Bugi) Yaalon would be the next IDF Chief of Staff. Prime Minister Sharon approved the appointment, and Yaalon will replace Lt.-Gen. Sha\'ul Mofaz on July 9. Two months ago, well before the IDF began its current wave of offensives into PA-controlled areas, Yaalon said that the army might well have to return to the areas from which it retreated in the framework of the Oslo Agreements.