Uzi Yairi (31 July 1936 – 5 March 1975, Tel Aviv, Israel) was a commander of the elite Israeli army commando unit

Sayeret Matkal General Staff Reconnaissance Unit (formerly Unit 269 or Unit 262), more commonly known as Sayeret Matkal ( he, סיירת מטכ״ל) is the special reconnaissance unit (''sayeret'') of Israel's General Staff (''matkal''). It is the prime special ...

. He was killed in action during a counter-terrorism operation to free hostages held by Palestinian terrorists at the

Savoy Hotel The Savoy Hotel is a luxury hotel located in the Strand in the City of Westminster in central London, England. Built by the impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan opera productions, it opened on 6 August ...

. Yairi became head of Sayeret Matkal at age 31 and a full colonel at only 35. He also served as a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. B ...

commander 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 E ...

, but left the army as a result of trauma he had suffered during the war. Тo commemorate him, moshav Ro'i was named after him. The name is an acronym for Ramat Uzi Yairi.

References

Israeli soldiers 1936 births 1975 deaths Israeli military personnel killed in action Burials at Kiryat Shaul Cemetery {{Israel-mil-bio-stub