Yedidya Ya'ari

Yedidya Ya'ari
Yedidya Ya'ari
Native name	ידידיה יערי
Born	30 June 1947 (1947-06-30) (age 77) Merhavia (kibbutz), Land of Israel
Allegiance	Israel
Service / branch	Israeli Navy
Years of service	1965–2004
Rank	Aluf
Commands	Commander of the Israeli Navy
Battles / wars	Six-Day War Yom Kippur War 1982 Lebanon War South Lebanon conflict First Intifada
Other work	President of defense firm Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd

Yedidya Ya'ari (Hebrew: ידידיה יערי, born 30 June 1947) was the commander of the Israeli Navy from 2000 to 2004. He was succeeded by David Ben Ba'ashat.

Biography

Ya'ari is the grandson of Meir Ya'ari, former leader of the Mapam party. He is the father of three and lives in Merhavia.

Navy career

In July 1969, as a commando in Shayetet 13, he was badly wounded and mistakenly declared dead during Operation Bulmus 6, the assault on fortified Green Island, Egypt, in the Gulf of Suez (jointly with Sayeret Matkal).

Photography career

After retiring from active army service, Ya'ari worked as an assistant cameraman for three years at Herzliya Studios.

Business career

He was CEO of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. In 2016, he became president of GenCell, an Israel-based fuel cell developer and manufacturer.