Dan Halutz, who led the Israeli military during two of its most challenging operations of the 2000s, credits his rise to the top of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in part to his Persian roots. In this Persians of Israel episode, Halutz tells VOA’s Michael Lipin how his Iran-born father made the journey to the Holy Land as a child from the western Iranian town of Abadan, and how his paternal Persian grandmother was a key influence in his own childhood. The former IDF chief also describes his unprecedented journey from young Israeli air force cadet to chief of general staff. And Halutz speaks about his hope that Iran will one day end its long-running hostility toward Israel and give him a chance to visit the country – again.