Dov Tamari ( he, דב תמרי; born 1936) was an Israeli military leader. He retired as a brigadier general. He held several prominent posts, including the

IDF IDF or idf may refer to: Defence forces * Irish Defence Forces * Israel Defense Forces *Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006 * Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917 Organizations * Israeli Diving Federation * Interac ...

's Chief Intelligence Officer.

Military service

Tamari was drafted into the IDF in 1954. He volunteered as a paratrooper in the

Paratroopers Brigade The 35th Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת הַצַּנְחָנִים, ''Hativat HaTzanhanim''), also known as the Paratroopers Brigade, is an infantry brigade unit of paratroopers within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and forms a major part of ...

. He served as a soldier and a

squad leader ''Squad Leader'' is a tactical level board war game originally published by Avalon Hill in 1977. It was designed by John Hill and simulates on infantry combat in Europe during World War II. One of the most complex war games of its time, ''Squa ...

and took part in the

Reprisal operations Reprisal operations ( he, פעולות התגמול, ') were raids carried out by the Israel Defense Forces in the 1950s and 1960s in response to frequent fedayeen attacks during which armed Arab militants infiltrated Israel from Syria, Egypt ...

. In 1956 he became an infantry officer after completing Officer Candidate School and returned to the Paratroopers Brigade as a platoon leader. On 10 October 1956, during Operation Samaria, in which the Paratroopers Brigade attacked the Jordanian military stronghold in

Qalqilya Qalqilya or Qalqiliya ( ar, قلقيلية, Qalqīlyaḧ) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank which serves as the administrative center of the Qalqilya Governorate of the State of Palestine. In the 2007 census, the city had a population of 41, ...

, Tamari's force was separated from the main force and came under heavy attack. Tamari showed extraordinary bravery and his force repelled the Jordanian force. For his actions he was decorated with the Medal of Courage. Tamari fought in the 1956

Sinai War The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...

and was wounded during the battle for

Mitla Pass The Mitla Pass ( ar, ممر متلة, he, מיתלה) is a pass snaking in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, wedged between mountain ranges to the north and south. It is located about east of Suez. It is the monotonous ride through here and Nek ...

. Afterwards he led a paratrooper company and the Brigade's

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

company. He was appointed commander of Sayeret Matkal, and led its men during clandestine operations and in the Samu Incident. For his actions as the commander of Sayeret Matkal Tamari received two Chief of Staff (Ramatkal) Citations. During the

Six-Day War The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...

he commanded a reserve Paratroopers battalion. He later commanded the 401st Armored Brigade. During the

Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egy ...

Tamari served as the deputy commander of the 162nd Division.Anat Balint, Haggai Hitron, Amnon Barzilai
"Channel 2 Puts Off Screening of Controversial Film on 1973 Battle"
''

Haaretz ''Haaretz'' ( , originally ''Ḥadshot Haaretz'' – , ) is an Israeli newspaper. It was founded in 1918, making it the longest running newspaper currently in print in Israel, and is now published in both Hebrew and English in the Berliner f ...

'', 26 April 2004. After the war he commanded the 162nd Division and served as the first Chief Intelligence Officer. He retired in 1979 in the rank of brigadier general. Tamari hold a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

from

University of Haifa The University of Haifa ( he, אוניברסיטת חיפה Arabic: جامعة حيفا) is a university located on Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. Founded in 1963, the University of Haifa received full academic accreditation in 1972, becoming Is ...

military history Military history is the study of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, cultures and economies thereof, as well as the resulting changes to local and international relationships. Professional historians norma ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tamari, Dov 1936 births Israeli generals Israeli Jews Israeli people of the Six-Day War Israeli people of the Yom Kippur War Living people Recipients of the Medal of Courage Brigadier generals University of Haifa alumni