IDF General Aviezer Yaari, Who Warned Before Yom Kippur War, Dies at 96

Aviezer Yaari, a retired IDF Major General known for his long military career and early warning before the Yom Kippur War, passed away at age 96. Born in 1930 in Kibbutz Merhavia, Yaari began his security service in the Palmach and fought in the 1948 War of Independence with the Yiftach Brigade. He served nearly four decades in the IDF, holding key command and staff positions, including commander of the Golani Brigade, division commander, head of the General Staff Operations Branch, and Central Command chief.

On October 1, 1973, as head of Branch 5 in Military Intelligence, Yaari warned that Egypt and Syria were preparing to attack Israel. Despite passing this intelligence to senior officers, he was reprimanded for contradicting Aman’s official assessment that "nothing is happening." After the war, he helped shape IDF operations in the West Bank and led personnel policy reforms as head of the Personnel Directorate in the 1980s. He retired from the IDF in 1987.

Following his military career, Yaari served as the State Comptroller’s supervisor of defense audits from 1987 to 2000, overseeing key reports on military failures and civil defense preparedness. He remained engaged with security matters and maintained close ties with military leaders. Yaari lived his final years in Tel Aviv but requested burial in his native Merhavia, where he was laid to rest on Monday.

Giora Yaari, a 92-year-old kibbutz member, praised him as an outstanding soldier and intelligence officer who foresaw major disasters. Yaari’s nephew, Major General Yedidya Yaari, called him a legendary IDF hero whose name is revered in military intelligence. He was noted for his apolitical dedication solely to Israel’s defense and security.