One of the most influential figures in the history of Aman: Major General (res.) Aviezer Yaari passed away at the age of 96
Yaari, son of MAPAM founder Meir Yaari, was praised for his performance during the Yom Kippur War, when he was a branch head in Syria. He is also remembered for his advice to the late Ariel Sharon during the First Lebanon War.
One of the most influential figures in the history of Aman: Major General (res.) Aviezer Yaari passed away at the age of 96.
He tried to warn about the Yom Kippur War and was severely reprimanded: Major General (res.) Aviezer Yaari, a senior officer in Aman during the Yom Kippur War, passed away at the age of 96. He is considered one of the people who had the greatest influence on the Intelligence Directorate.
Yaari was born in Kibbutz Merhavia to Anda and Meir Yaari, leaders of MAPAM. He was drafted into the army in 1948, and for the first few years, he served in the Golani Brigade. His move to the Research Division began the central path of his career, when in 1968 he was appointed head of the political section in the Syria and Lebanon branch. In recent years, Yaari did not live in Merhavia, but he is expected to be buried in the kibbutz in the north.
During the Yom Kippur War, Yaari served as head of the Syria branch, a position in which he excelled in intelligence work. The Agranat Commission, which investigated the army's preparation for the war, credited him with independent thinking and seeing the connection between IDF reinforcements in the south and movements in the north. He was also the one who insisted on the importance of the warning to the Northern Command on the first day of the war.
Aviezer Yaari was against everyone then — and was severely reprimanded. In the protocols of the Agranat Commission published by the Ministry of Defense, it was revealed that the assistant to the head of Aman reprimanded Yaari for his decision to convey his personal assessments and not those of Aman, which believed that war was not imminent.
"I eat myself up for not screaming to the heavens," Yaari said in an interview with Channel 12 in 2012. "Today, 40 years later, I say that one can attribute good things to me as well. But if they want to judge me — then one can say that I did not manage to move even one stone. They did not change their opinion because of me."
The advice to Ariel Sharon
In 1978, Yaari was appointed assistant to the head of Aman for research (today the head of the Research Division). During this period, he was one of the central figures whose opinions were sought due to his unequivocal views. During the discussions on the disengagement plan in 2004, he signed a letter of support together with senior security officials, stating that the plan was essential for Israel's security.
During the First Lebanon War, Yaari was among a group of senior security officials who recommended that Defense Minister Ariel Sharon avoid entering IDF forces into Beirut. While Sharon pushed for expanding operations, Yaari insisted on security considerations in reaching decisions that would advance the army inside a city with a dense civilian population. The relationship between the two was one of mutual respect, despite disagreements on methods of action in the field.
Yaari also served as commander of the military colleges. Until his final years, Yaari lived in Kibbutz Merhavia. Yaari had three daughters. He was married to Sonia, their mother. He married a second time to the late Aya Luft, who passed away in 2015.
