Dan Shomron Thirteenth Chief of the General Staff of the Israel Defense Forces Date of Birth: 05.08.1937 Country: Israel

Biography of Dan Shomron

Dan Shomron was the thirteenth Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces. At the age of 50, in 1987, he became the 13th Chief of Staff and held this position until 1991, when he was replaced by Ehud Barak. During the Six-Day War, Shomron commanded the Egyptian front and was the first to reach the Suez Canal during the battles. For this, he was awarded the Medal of Excellence.

In 1974, Dan Shomron was appointed Commander of the Infantry Forces and Special Forces. In this position, in 1976, he led the Operation Entebbe to rescue hostages taken by Palestinian terrorists. In 1978, Dan Shomron was also involved in the dismantling of Israeli settlements and military bases in the Sinai Peninsula as part of the Camp David Accords with Egypt. In 1983, Dan Shomron was appointed Commander of the Ground Forces (infantry, armored units, artillery, and engineering forces).

After his resignation as Chief of Staff, Dan Shomron worked as the head of Military Industries. He passed away on February 26, 2008, after suffering a stroke two weeks prior. Dan Shomron was portrayed in several movies about Operation Entebbe, with Charles Bronson being the most notable actor to play his character in the film Raid on Entebbe.