Avraham Lanir
Encyclopedia
Avraham "Avi" Lanir was a Lieutenant Colonel
in the Israel Air Force. He was the highest ranking Israel
i fighter pilot to fall into enemy hands. He was tortured to death by his Syria
n captors.
. 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 the commander 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. In August 1962, Lanir married Michal Barzilai. The couple had two children, Noam
and Nurit.
in 1959, training to become a fighter pilot. He flew the Dassault Mirage III
with 117 Squadron
and on April 6, 1967, scored his first aerial kill in a major skirmish along the Syrian border which ended with the downing of six Syrian jets. Lanir, flying Mirage 60, downed a SAF
MiG-21 with cannon fire after closing in to a distance of 200 meters. The MiG exploded and Lanir flew right through the fireball, covering his aircraft with soot. Initially blinded, enough soot was eventually blown off his canopy to afford Lanir a safe landing at Ramat David
. The scorched aircraft earned the nickname "Black Mirage", and Lanir flew it once again during Operation Focus
on June 5, 1967, when he participated in a strike against the Egyptian air base at Fayid
. The aircraft was lost 2 days later over Iraq
.
After the Six Day War Lanir converted to the Dassault Super Mystere
which he flew as the senior deputy commander of 105 Squadron during the War of Attrition
.
In 1965 Lanir was sent to study electrical engineering at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, from which he graduated in 1969. He was thereafter appointed to test pilot the "Technolog," the prototype that preceded the IAI Kfir
.
In 1971, Lanir was assigned command of 101 Squadron, operating the Dassault Mirage out of Hazor
. He scored his second aerial kill on November 9, 1972, downing a Syrian MiG-21 while flying Mirage 72. On October 12, 1973, a week after the Yom Kippur War
began, Lanir scored his third and last aerial kill, downing a Syrian MiG-17 in the vicinity of Kuneitra while flying Mirage 58.
n 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 Mazra'at Beit Jinn. 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 claimed that Lanir had information on Israel's nuclear program. According to Yuval Neeman, then 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,reference including Lanir, held captive by the Syrians. However, Lanir was tortured to death by his interrogators.
On June 6, 1974, the Syrians returned Lanir's body. Former Israel Air Force Commander Mordechai Hod
noted that Lanir had information that would have placed the existence of Israel at risk had he revealed it to the Syrians.
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
in the Israel Air Force. He was the highest ranking Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i fighter pilot to fall into enemy hands. He was tortured to death by his Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n captors.
Biography
Avraham Lankin (later Lanir) was born in 1940 in HerzliyaHerzliya
Herzliya is a city in the central coast of Israel, at the western part of the Tel Aviv District. It has a population of 87,000 residents. Named after Theodor Herzl, the founder of modern Zionism, Herzliya covers an area of 26 km²...
. His parents Yaacov and Malka were active members in the British Mandate era militant group Etzel
Etzel
Etzel is* The common Israeli name for Irgun Tzvai-Leumi, or Irgun, a military organization operating in the British Mandate of Palestine from 1931 to 1948.* A German form of the name of Attila the Hun, for example in the Nibelungenlied....
. His father went on to become a senior member of the Shin Bet. His uncle, Eliyahu Lankin, was the commander of the weapons ship Altelena
Altalena Affair
The Altalena Affair was a violent confrontation that took place in June 1948 between the newly formed Israel Defense Forces and the Irgun, a right-wing Jewish paramilitary group...
. 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.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
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
Israeli Air Force
The Israeli Air Force is the air force of the State of Israel and the aerial arm of the Israel Defense Forces. It was founded on May 28, 1948, shortly after the Israeli Declaration of Independence...
’s technical academy. In August 1962, Lanir married Michal Barzilai. The couple had two children, Noam
Noam Lanir
Noam Lanir is an Israeli entrepreneur and the controlling shareholder and CEO of Livermore Investment Company, which is traded on the Alternative Investment Market since 2005.- Early life :...
and Nurit.
Air force career
Lanir enlisted in the Israel Defense ForcesIsrael Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
in 1959, training to become a fighter pilot. He flew the Dassault Mirage III
Dassault Mirage III
The Mirage III is a supersonic fighter aircraft designed by Dassault Aviation during the late 1950s, and manufactured both in France and a number of other countries. It was a successful fighter aircraft, being sold to many air forces around the world and remaining in production for over a decade...
with 117 Squadron
117 Squadron (Israel)
The 117 Squadron of the Israeli Air Force, also known as the First Jet Squadron, is an F-16C fighter squadron based at Ramat David Airbase. The squadron operated Israel's first jet aircraft, the Gloster Meteor, flying the T7, F8 and FR9 variants....
and on April 6, 1967, scored his first aerial kill in a major skirmish along the Syrian border which ended with the downing of six Syrian jets. Lanir, flying Mirage 60, downed a SAF
Syrian Air Force
The Syrian Air Force is the Aviation branch of the Syrian Armed Forces. It was established in 1948.-History:The end of World War II led to a withdrawal of the United Kingdom and France from the Middle East, and this included a withdrawal from Syria...
MiG-21 with cannon fire after closing in to a distance of 200 meters. The MiG exploded and Lanir flew right through the fireball, covering his aircraft with soot. Initially blinded, enough soot was eventually blown off his canopy to afford Lanir a safe landing at Ramat David
Ramat David Airbase
Ramat David Israeli Air Force Base is one of three principal airbases of the Israeli Air Force, located southeast of Haifa, close to kibbutz Ramat David and Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley...
. The scorched aircraft earned the nickname "Black Mirage", and Lanir flew it once again during Operation Focus
Operation Focus
Operation Focus was the opening airstrike by Israel at the start of the Six-Day War in 1967. It is sometimes referred to as "Sinai Air Strike" since the focus was primarily on airfields around the Sinai Peninsula. At 07:45 on June 5, 1967, the Israeli Air Force under Maj. Gen...
on June 5, 1967, when he participated in a strike against the Egyptian air base at Fayid
RAF Fayid
RAF Fayid is a former military airfield in Egypt, located approximately 23 km south of Ismailia ; 69 miles 116 km northeast of Cairo...
. The aircraft was lost 2 days later over Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
After the Six Day War Lanir converted to the Dassault Super Mystere
Dassault Super Mystère
|-See also:-References: http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/waf/americas/el_salvador/El_Salvador-af-EscCazaBomb.htm...
which he flew as the senior deputy commander of 105 Squadron during the War of Attrition
War of Attrition
The international community and both countries attempted to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict. The Jarring Mission of the United Nations was supposed to ensure that the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 242 would be observed, but by late 1970 it was clear that this mission had been...
.
In 1965 Lanir was sent to study electrical engineering at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, from which he graduated in 1969. He was thereafter appointed to test pilot the "Technolog," the prototype that preceded the IAI Kfir
IAI Kfir
The Israel Aircraft Industries Kfir is an Israeli-built all-weather, multirole combat aircraft based on a modified Dassault Mirage 5 airframe, with Israeli avionics and an Israeli-made version of the General Electric J79 turbojet engine.-Background:...
.
In 1971, Lanir was assigned command of 101 Squadron, operating the Dassault Mirage out of Hazor
Hatzor Airbase
Hatzor Israeli Air Force Base , also titled Kanaf 4 is an Israeli Air Force military air base, located in central Israel, near kibbutz Hatzor after which it is named...
. He scored his second aerial kill on November 9, 1972, downing a Syrian MiG-21 while flying Mirage 72. On October 12, 1973, a week after the Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
began, Lanir scored his third and last aerial kill, downing a Syrian MiG-17 in the vicinity of Kuneitra while flying Mirage 58.
Capture and death
On October 13, 1973, Lanir was scrambled for a reconnaissance mission deep in SyriaSyria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n 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 Mazra'at Beit Jinn. 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 claimed that Lanir had information on Israel's nuclear program. According to Yuval Neeman, then Prime Minister Golda Meir
Golda Meir
Golda Meir ; May 3, 1898 – December 8, 1978) was a teacher, kibbutznik and politician who became the fourth Prime Minister of the State of Israel....
delivered a message to Henry Kissinger
Henry Kissinger
Heinz Alfred "Henry" Kissinger is a German-born American academic, political scientist, diplomat, and businessman. He is a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. He served as National Security Advisor and later concurrently as Secretary of State in the administrations of Presidents Richard Nixon and...
stating that the Israeli government would be willing to relinquish the Hermon peak
Mount Hermon
Mount Hermon is a mountain cluster in the Anti-Lebanon mountain range. Its summit straddles the border between Syria and Lebanon and, at 2,814 m above sea level, is the highest point in Syria. On the top there is “Hermon Hotel”, in the buffer zone between Syria and Israeli-occupied...
in return for the 28 Israeli pilots,reference including Lanir, held captive by the Syrians. However, Lanir was tortured to death by his interrogators.
On June 6, 1974, the Syrians returned Lanir's body. Former Israel Air Force Commander Mordechai Hod
Mordechai Hod
Aluf Mordechai "Mottie" Hod was the Commander of the Israeli Air Force during the 1967 Six-Day War.- Biography :Hod was born in the British Mandated of Palestine in Kibbutz Degania in 1926...
noted that Lanir had information that would have placed the existence of Israel at risk had he revealed it to the Syrians.