Tal Russo

Tal Russo was born in 1959 in Hulata

Tal Russo was born on 27 September 1959 in kibbutz Hulata in the Upper Galilee. His parents, Noa and Dror, both fought in the Palmach. Before his draft he spent a year of service as a counselor in the HaMahanot HaOlim youth movement.

He earned a BA in political science from the University of Haifa. He also holds an MBA from Tel Aviv University.

He was drafted in 1978 and joined the Shaldag unit, then left the army in 1981. He returned and fought with Shaldag in the 1982 Lebanon War as a team commander. He later served as deputy commander of Sayeret Matkal and commanded the Maglan unit and the Nahal Brigade.

In October 2006 he became a major general and head of the Operations Directorate. In October 2010 he took command of the Southern Command and led it in Operation Pillar of Defense, leaving the post in April 2013. From 2015 to 2017 he headed the Depth Command in the reserves.

In 2019 he was second on the Labor Party list and was elected to the Knesset. He left political life before the next election. In 2025 he joined Gadi Eisenkot's party, Yashar.