Ottoman era Much of the Kirya today is located on the lands of
Sarona, a
Templer settlement founded in the 19th century. Sarona was an agricultural colony, and kept this nature despite the expansion of Tel Aviv and attempts by the city to buy some of Sarona's lands.
British Mandate buildings of
Sarona in HaKirya In
World War II, British forces took control of Sarona and converted it into a prison camp for Germans. After the war, the German prisoners were deported, mostly to
Australia, and Sarona became a British military and police base. The base was the site of the first-ever unconcealed
Haganah attack on a British installation. or to the
Negev, the Galilee and the city of
Lod, while retaining the more recently built IDF facilities of the Kirya. In 2012, it was speculated that HaKirya could be targeted by enemy GPS-guided missiles, in particular the
M-300 missiles installed in Syria. , and
Kirya Tower The Kirya today consists of a northern section, used for the military base, and the southern one, a business district which includes the
Kirya Tower. These sections are separated by
Kaplan Street. The military base is home to the
Matcal Tower and
Marganit Tower, and serves as the headquarters of the IDF's
General Staff. There are plans to relocate parts of the northern section (military base), including the dining hall, in favor of the
Tel Aviv Light Rail and private development. Plans also exist to build five new towers inside the base, including new structures for the
Military Intelligence Directorate and
Navy. On 4 April 2026, during the
2026 Iran war, an Iranian missile struck the part of Tel Aviv where the Kirya is located. ==References==