A major general since 2021, Alian is the highest-ranking Druze officer in the IDF. He commanded COGAT, the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, during the 2023-2025 war with Hamas and thus oversaw aid shipments into the Gaza Strip. He is a native of the Galilee town of Shefa-’Amr. He serves in the Central Command. He was the first non-Jewish commanding officer of the Golani Brigade. He has seen combat in the First Intifada, Lebanon, and Operations Cast Lead, Pillar of Defense and Protective Edge. He was wounded in Gaza during Protective Edge in 2014.
