Yaakov Nimrodi
Yaakov Nimrodi | |
|---|---|
יעקב נמרודי | |
| Born | 1 June 1926 Jerusalem,  Mandatory Palestine |
| Died | 21 August 2023 (aged 97) |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for |
|
| Children | Ofer Nimrodi |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  Israel |
| Service | Israel Defense Forces |
| Years of service | 1940s–1979 |
| Rank |
|
| Other work | Arms dealer |
Yaakov Nimrodi (Hebrew: יעקב נמרודי, 1 June 1926 – 21 August 2023) was an Israeli businessman and intelligence officer. Nimrodi, the father of Ofer Nimrodi, was the chairman of Maariv, which he acquired in 1992.
Biography
[edit]Yaakov Nimrodi was born in Jerusalem on 1 June 1926,[1] as one of ten children of an Iraqi-Jewish family. He was recruited into intelligence work at the age of 16, by Yitzhak Navon, a childhood friend who later became President of Israel. Nimrodi joined a special unit of the Palmach which specialized in gathering intelligence on Arab countries.[2]
After Israeli independence in 1948, he was assigned to a military intelligence unit in the south of Israel, where he met Ariel Sharon, later Prime Minister of Israel.[3] In 1956, he was appointed the IDF military attaché and Israel Defense Ministry representative in Tehran. There he was involved in Israel's large-scale arms sales to Iran in the 1960s.[3] "No Israeli representative in Iran during the Shah's regime was more significant or influential than Nimrodi."[4] During this time Nimrodi provided "advice and training" to Iran's SAVAK secret service.[5]
Nimrodi died on 21 August 2023, at the age of 97.[6]
Business career
[edit]Nimrodi returned to Israel after the fall of the Shah of Iran in 1979, but continued to be involved in arms trading,[3][7] including a $135 million sale of arms to Iran in 1981.[8] Nimrodi played a central role[further explanation needed] in the early stages of the Iran-Contra affair.[9][10] He published a book on the affair in 2004.[11]
In 1987 Nimrodi acquired Israel Land Development Company for $26m. In 1992, he bought the Israeli newspaper Maariv. [3]
Published works
[edit]- התקווה והמחד: פרשת איראנגייט, Maariv Publishing, 2004 (Irangate: A Hope Shattered)
References
[edit]- ^ Profile of Yaakov Nimrodi
- ^ Yaacov Nimrodi: A Tale Of Arms and the Man
- ^ a b c d jewishvirtuallibrary.org, Encyclopaedia Judaica: Nimrodi, 2008
- ^ Ephraim Kahana and Muhammad Suwaed (2009), The A to Z of Middle Eastern Intelligence, Scarecrow Press, p212
- ^ Nigel West (2006), Historical Dictionary of International Intelligence, Scarecrow Press, p223
- ^ "יעקב נמרודי הלך לעולמו בגיל 97". Maariv. 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
- ^ Dan Fisher, Los Angeles Times, 28 October 1988. Sharon Linked to '82 Anti-Khomeini Coup Plot
- ^ Jane Hunter, November 1986, Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, Israeli Arms Sales to Iran
- ^ Thomas L. Friedman, New York Times, 11 June 1987, SAVYON JOURNAL; NIMRODI GIVES A PARTY AND ALL THE BIG GUNS COME
- ^ Uri Shitrit, The Irangate Affair
- ^ Yossi Melman, Haaretz, 20 May 2004, Jackob Nimrodi tells his version
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1926 births
- 2023 deaths
- Arms traders
- Israeli businesspeople in real estate
- Israeli Mizrahi Jews
- Iraqi Jews
- Israeli chief executives
- Israeli people of Iraqi-Jewish descent
- Maariv (newspaper) people
- Israeli colonels
- Businesspeople from Jerusalem
- People of the Mossad
- People of the Military Intelligence Directorate (Israel)