Yonatan Netanyahu

Yonatan "Yoni" Netanyahu (March 13, 1946 - July 4, 1976), was commander of the elite Israeli army commando unit Sayeret Matkal . He was killed in action during Operation Entebbe in Uganda . He was awarded the Medal of Distinguished Service for his conduct in the Yom Kippur War . His younger brother, Benjamin Netanyahu , is the prime minister of Israel .

Yonatan " Yoni " Netanyahu ( ; March 13, 1946 – July 4, 1976), was the commander of the elite Israeli army commando unit Sayeret Matkal . He was the only Israeli soldier killed in action during Operation Entebbe in Uganda . He was awarded the Medal of Distinguished Service for his conduct in the Yom Kippur War . His younger brother, Benjamin Netanyahu , is the current Prime Minister of Israel .

Yonatan " Yoni " Netanyahu ( ; March 13, 1946 – July 4, 1976) was an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officer who commanded the elite commando unit Sayeret Matkal during Operation Entebbe , an operation to rescue hostages held at Entebbe Airport in Uganda in 1976. The mission was successful, with 102 of the 106 hostages rescued, but Netanyahu was killed in action —the only IDF fatality during the operation. The eldest son of the Israeli professor Benzion Netanyahu , Yonatan was born in New York City and spent much of his youth in the United States, where he attended high school. After serving in the IDF during the Six-Day War of 1967, he briefly attended Harvard University before transferring to Jerusalem's Hebrew University in 1968; soon thereafter he left his studies and returned to the IDF. He joined Sayeret Matkal in the early 1970s and was awarded the Medal of Distinguished Service for his conduct in the Yom Kippur War of 1973. After his death Operation Entebbe was renamed "Operation Yonatan" in his honour. Netanyahu's younger brother, Benjamin Netanyahu , has been Prime Minister of Israel since 2009, and also served in that office between 1996 and 1999. Both Benjamin and their younger brother, Iddo Netanyahu , served in Sayeret Matkal.

Israeli military officer (1946–1976) Yonatan " Yoni " Netanyahu ( ; March 13, 1946 – July 4, 1976) was an Israeli military officer who commanded Sayeret Matkal during the Entebbe raid , launched in response to the 1976 hijacking of an international civilian passenger flight from Israel to France by Palestinian and German militants, who took control of the aircraft during a stopover in Greece and diverted it to Libya and then to Uganda , where they received support from Ugandan dictator Idi Amin . Though Israel's counter-terrorist operation was ultimately a success, with 102 of the 106 hostages onboard the flight being rescued, Yonatan was killed in action — the only Israeli fatality during the crisis. The eldest son of the Israeli professor Benzion Netanyahu , Yonatan was born in New York City and spent much of his youth in the United States , where he attended high school. After serving in the Israeli military during the Six-Day War , he briefly attended Harvard University before transferring to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1968; soon thereafter, he left his studies and returned to military service in Israel. He joined Sayeret Matkal in the early 1970s and was awarded the Medal of Distinguished Service for his conduct in the Yom Kippur War . After his death, Operation Entebbe was renamed "Operation Yonatan" in his honor. Benjamin Netanyahu , Yonatan's younger brother, has served as Israel's prime minister three times (1996–1999, 2009–2021, and 2022–present). Both Benjamin and their younger brother Iddo Netanyahu have also served in Sayeret Matkal.

Israeli military officer (1946–1976) Yonatan " Yoni " Netanyahu ( Hebrew : יוֹנָתָן "יוֹנִי" נְתַנְיָהוּ , pronounced [jonaˈtan ˈjoni netanˈjahu] ; March 13, 1946 – July 4, 1976) was an Israeli military officer who commanded Sayeret Matkal during the Entebbe raid . The raid was launched in response to the 1976 hijacking of an international civilian passenger flight from Israel to France by Palestinian and German militants, who took control of the aircraft during a stopover in Greece and diverted it to Libya and then to Uganda , where they received support from Ugandan dictator Idi Amin . Though Israel's counter-terrorist operation was a success, with 102 of the 106 hostages being rescued, Netanyahu was killed in action – the only Israeli soldier killed during the crisis. The eldest son of the Israeli professor Benzion Netanyahu and brother of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu , Yonatan was born in New York City and spent much of his youth in the United States, where he attended high school. After serving in the Israeli military during the Six-Day War , he briefly attended Harvard University before transferring to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1968; soon thereafter, he left his studies and returned to military service in Israel. He joined Sayeret Matkal in the early 1970s and was awarded the Medal of Distinguished Service for his conduct in the Yom Kippur War . After his death, Operation Entebbe was renamed "Operation Yonatan" in his honor.