Eli Zeira, IDF intel chief during 1973 Yom Kippur War, dies at 97

Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent

Maj. Gen. Eli Zeira in an undated photo (Israel Defense Forces)
Maj. Gen. Eli Zeira in an undated photo (Israel Defense Forces)

Maj. Gen. (ret.) Eli Zeira, the chief of the Military Intelligence Directorate in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, has died at the age of 97.

Zeira is best known for his ill-judged assessment that Egypt and Syria would not attack in 1973, despite intelligence reports to the contrary.

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