Hofi served as Mossad director from 1974 to 1982; Ya'alon calls him a "brave and measured commander"; Netanyahu: He worked all his life on behalf of Israel's security.
By YAAKOV LAPPINFormer Mossad chief Yithak Hofi(photo credit: IICC)
Former Mossad director Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yitzhak Hofi died in Ramat Gan on Monday at the age of 87.Born in Tel Aviv, Hofi served in the pre-state Palmah and Haganah forces in the 1940s, fought in the War of Independence as a company commander, and rose through the ranks of the Givati and Paratroopers brigades in the IDF. He eventually became OC Northern Command and managed operations on the northern front against Syria in the 1973 Yom Kippur War.He served as Mossad director from 1974 to 1982, overseeing a series of high-profile operations, including the release of Israeli hostages in Entebbe in 1976 and the attack on Iraq’s nuclear reactor in 1981.Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said he was “always a brave and measured commander” who led the Northern Command during one of Israel’s most difficult hours in 1973.Hofi led the Mossad to great achievements that fortified Israeli security, Ya’alon added.“Now, many years after his retirement from military service, Hofi’s fingerprints and those of his friends from the founding generation continue to influence the IDF and its path,” the defense minister said.After leaving the Mossad in 1982, Hofi served as director of the Israel Electric Corporation through 1990.Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu sent his condolences to Hofi’s family. He said Hofi worked “all his life on behalf of the security of the state of Israel,” adding: “The Israeli people thanks him for his contribution to the country’s security.”Hofi will be laid to rest in a full military funeral, but the details had not yet been announced by press time.
