Avraham Lanir

Infobox Military Person
name = Avi Lanir


caption =
born = Birth date|1940|01|25
died = October 1973
placeofbirth = Herzliya
placeofdeath =
placeofburial = Mount Herzl
placeofburial_label=
nickname =
allegiance = flagicon|Israel Israel
branch = Israeli Air Force
serviceyears = 1959-1973
rank = Lieutenant Colonel
unit =
commands = 101 Squadron (Israel)
battles =
awards = Medal of Courage
relations =
Lieutenant Colonel Avraham "Avi" Lanir (January 25, 1940 – October 1973) was the highest ranking Israeli fighter pilot to fall into enemy hands.

Early life and education

Avi Lanir was born as Avraham Lankin on January 25, 1940 in Herzliya. His parents Yaacov and Malka were active members in the British Mandate era militant group Etzel. His father went on to become a senior member of the Shin Bet. His uncle, Eliyahu Lankin, was one of the commanders of the weapons ship Altelena.

Lanir studied at several schools, with the family following his father's employment relocations throughout Israel. In 1954, the family moved to Washington, D.C. in the framework of Lanir’s fathers work in the service of the state of Israel. When Avi Lanir was 17, he returned to Israel with his family and for the year which remained before his enlistment he studied electronics at the Israeli Air Force’s technical academy.

Career

Lanir enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces in 1959. During his service as a fighter pilot, Lanir was sent in 1965 to the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology to study electronic engineering and successfully graduated in 1969. Following this training, he was one of the test pilots for the "Technolog", the prototype that preceded the IAI Kfir. During the War of Attrition, in 1971, Lanir was appointed to head the Mirage squadron, the first combat squadron. The squadron was based at Hazor in the southern central region of the country.

Marriage and children

In August 1962 Lanir married Michal Barzilai, whose family was associated with the left-wing Mapai. The couple had two children, Noam and Nurit.

Capture and death

On October 13, 1973, Lanir was scrambled for a reconnaissance mission deep in Syrian territory. Lanir was not aware of the location of the mobile missile batteries that the Syrians had placed overnight, possibly due to not attending the morning squadron briefing. During his return to Israel, Lanir was caught in a missile ambush and his Mirage was hit in the rear, forcing him to eject. The wind carried the parachuting pilot back over the border into Syrian territory and he landed in the area of Beit Jann. Israeli Armor Corps soldiers witnessed him land and attempted to rescue him, but he was captured by a Syrian jeep patrol that reached him first.

Foreign press reports indicated that Lanir had numerous details of Israel's atomic weaponry and its intentions to use it. According to testimony given by Yuval Neeman, the Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir delivered a message to Henry Kissinger stating that the Israeli government would be willing to relinquish the Hermon peak in return for the 28 Israeli pilots, including Lanir, held captive by the Syrians. However, Lanir was tortured to death by his interrogators.

On June 6, 1974, the Syrians returned the body of Avraham Lanir. Former Israel Air Force Commander Modi Hod noted that Lanir had information that would have placed the existence of Israel at risk had he revealed it to the Syrians.

Awards

*1976: Medal of Courage (awarded posthumously)