Maj. Gen. Aviezer Yaari, who held a series of senior command and staff positions in the IDF and warned that Egypt and Syria were preparing to attack Israel days before the 1973 Yom Kippur War, has died at the age of 96.
He will be laid to rest Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. at the cemetery in Kibbutz Merhavia.
Maj. Gen. Aviezer Yaari
(Photo: Shaul Golan)
Yaari was born in the kibbutz to Anda and Meir Yaari, the longtime leader of the left-wing Mapam party, and began his military career in the Palmach, the elite strike force of the pre-state Haganah.
Over nearly four decades, he held a succession of senior command and headquarters roles that made him a prominent figure in Israel’s military leadership.
On the eve of the Yom Kippur War, Yaari served in the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate as head of Branch 5.
On October 1, 1973, five days before the war began, he passed on information indicating that Egypt and Syria were preparing to attack Israel. After conveying the warning to the Northern Command intelligence officer and Maj. Gen. Albert Mandler, he was summoned for a reprimand.
Yaari was told that he was required to present Military Intelligence’s official assessment, which held that “nothing was happening.”
Following the war, Yaari helped shape IDF operations in the West Bank and contributed to the military’s force buildup.
In his final IDF posting, he served as commander of the National Defense College from 1983 to 1986.
Yaari retired from the military in 1987 with the rank of major general after approximately 39 years of service.
He remained involved in public and security affairs after leaving the IDF and maintained close ties with the defense establishment, as well as with commanders and soldiers who had served alongside him.
Yaari later joined the State Comptroller’s Office, where he served as head of defense establishment oversight from 1987 to 2000.
During his tenure, the office published several major reports on security matters, including investigations into the 1992 Tze’elim training disaster, reserve service and Israel’s preparedness for a chemical weapons attack during the Gulf War.
Giora Yaari, 92, a member of Kibbutz Merhavia, described him as an exceptional soldier and one of Israel’s finest intelligence officers.
“Aviezer was an outstanding soldier who had a remarkable ability to foresee major disasters,” he said. “He was among the best intelligence officers in the IDF and the State of Israel.”
Giora Yaari said Aviezer had lived in Tel Aviv in recent years but had asked to be buried in Merhavia.
“Maj. Gen. Yedidya Yaari is Aviezer’s nephew,” he added. “Aviezer was one of the legendary heroes to emerge from the IDF, and his reputation preceded him throughout Military Intelligence. This is a great loss for Merhavia and for the State of Israel.”
“He was never involved in politics,” he said. “His life was devoted solely to the military and national security.”