Avi Lanir | |
---|---|
Born | Herzliya, Mandatory Palestine | January 25, 1940
Died | 16 October 1973 Aleppo, Syria |
Buried | |
Allegiance | Israel |
Service | Israeli Air Force |
Years of service | 1959–1973 |
Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
Commands | 101 Squadron (Israel) |
Awards | Medal of Courage |
Avraham "Avi" Lanir (January 25, 1940 – October 1973) was a lieutenant colonel in the Israel Air Force. He was the highest-ranking Israeli fighter pilot to fall into enemy hands.
His image was engraved in the Israeli consciousness as a heroic figure, as a man who gave his life under severe torture in captivity in Syria and did not divulge the secrets of the state in which he was trusted - secrets that probably touched on the subject of "the weapon that Israel never admitted to exist".[1] For this act he was given the medal of courage.