Druze students traveling in Israel. Photo: Wiki Commons.

JNS.org – Col. Rasan Alian was appointed Thursday as the Golani Brigade commander, making Israel Defense Forces history as the first member of the Druze community to fill the role, Israel Hayom reported. Alian, 41, is from the northern city of Shfaram and will be the second Druze officer to become an infantry brigade commander—the first was Brig. Gen. (ret.) Imad Fares who was the commander of the Givati Brigade.

Alian rose through the ranks of the highly regarded Golani Brigade, serving in various operational roles as an officer and a combat soldier. During the Second Lebanon War in 2006, he served as deputy commander of the brigade, and during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in 2008-9 he served as battalion commander of the brigade’s reconnaissance unit. Following that, Alian served as the commander of the Menashe Brigade, which is responsible for the Jenin area.