Retired Brig.-Gen. Tzuri Sagi was laid to rest on Thursday in Tel Mond after passing away at the age of 92. Dozens of people accompanied his family, including his wife Tzipa and his son Yair.
Sagi was one of the most renowned paratroopers in IDF history. During his 32 years of service, he held operational positions in the IDF’s regular Paratroopers Brigade, the reserve Paratroopers Brigade, and served as commander of regional brigades in the Jordan Valley, the Shlomo Gulf, and the Golan Heights.
In 2012, he was awarded the Ramat Gan honorary citizen award, as the city adopted and supported the Paratroopers Brigade.
Sagi was considered one of the most influential figures in the early days of the Paratroopers’ 890 Battalion and later became one of the architects of Israel’s ties with Kurdish rebels, earning admiration among the Kurdish people. His character combined the qualities of a respected commander and fighter, a farmer and man of the land, and an individual known for independent and profound thinking.
He was born in Herzliya, grew up in the moshav of Ein Vered, and enlisted in the Paratroopers in 1952. He commanded a platoon in a battalion under Arik Sharon and served as a battalion commander in Rafael Eitan’s brigade. Even as a young paratrooper officer, he helped shape the IDF’s approach, moving from a defensive doctrine toward initiative and offensive warfare, a concept that later became a cornerstone of the IDF but was considered groundbreaking thinking at the time.
Sent behind enemy lines for reconnaissance, intelligence gathering
The beginning of his military career, following the integration of Unit 101 into Battalion 890, came during a period when the battalion was developing exceptional capabilities in reconnaissance, navigation, daring operations, and initiative beyond conventional limits. During this period, commanders were tested in reconnaissance missions across enemy lines. Sagi, then a sergeant and platoon commander, showed boldness and an innovative approach to reconnaissance.
During one deep reconnaissance mission in the Gaza Strip, near Deir al-Balah and the railway bridge, Sagi and his reconnaissance partner moved through Arab communities and refugee camps while disguised and concealed. Fearing they had been exposed, they stormed a tent occupied by armed Egyptian fighters, survived heavy gunfire, and completed their mission and intelligence gathering, demonstrating initiative, composure, and exceptional resourcefulness that ultimately earned praise from Sharon and Meir Har-Zion.
His qualities as an initiative-driven commander were also demonstrated during Operation Olive Leaves, in which Israeli forces raided a Syrian military post on the shores of the Sea of Galilee on the night of December 12, 1955. During the assault on the Syrian position, Eitan was seriously wounded, and Sagi, who served as his deputy, assumed command, completing the destruction of the Syrian machine guns and the capture of the post.
The high regard in which senior commanders held him continued throughout the years, as reflected in IDF Chief of Staff Yitzhak Rabin’s remarks about his performance as commander of Battalion 890 during Operation "Rock Cliff", the 1965 Kalkilya raid in Jordan. Rabin said that the battalion under Sagi’s command demonstrated excellent qualities and execution capabilities, operating with composure and impressive control even when it came under fire from a distance of only 10 meters inside a pillbox. He concluded: “It was a good performance in accordance with the objectives that were set. I have no words, only words of praise.”
During the Six-Day War, he went with the paratroopers to the Shlomo Gulf, led forces toward the Suez Canal, and took part in the capture of Sharm el-Sheikh. During the Yom Kippur War, he commanded a brigade-level force as part of the forces deployed on the Golan Heights, and later commanded the Paratroopers Brigade stationed in the Syrian “enclave.” His soldiers described him as a caring and courageous leader. Unlike traditional military perceptions that portrayed fighters as fearless, Sagi was known for his unusual honesty when openly discussing fear in battle, saying: “Anyone who was not afraid was either an idiot or autistic.”
In addition to his IDF roles, he became known for missions carried out on behalf of Israel, including advising in the training of the Ethiopian army and assisting the Shah of Iran in protecting oil facilities. However, a central part of his legacy was built around his deep involvement in the Kurdish struggle in Iraq. Sagi’s experience began with training special military courses for Kurdish officers and fighters and continued with his role as head of Israel’s military delegation in Kurdistan in 1966.
Sagi's legacy centers on Kurdish support
At the time, Sagi served as an IDF military adviser to the forces of Kurdish leader Mulla Mustafa Barzani and became a mythological figure among the Kurds. They viewed him with great admiration, and Barzani regarded him as a brother. Their close relationship developed because Sagi identified the limitations of Kurdish fighting methods and adapted for them an advanced military concept of defense and offense.
In May 1966, when fighting resumed against the Iraqi army, Sagi combined brilliant tactical planning with the ability to persuade Barzani to launch an offensive operation involving two battalions. The culmination of the operation was the famous Battle of Mount Handrin in May 1966, in which, under Sagi’s leadership, Kurdish forces defeated and almost completely destroyed the Iraqi army’s 4th Brigade.
Sagi’s activities during the 1960s and 1970s had a decisive and long-term impact on Israel’s relationship with the Kurds. His operations and assistance in their fight against the Iraqi army played a fundamental role in shaping the warm pro-Israel sentiment that exists in Kurdish areas of Iraq to this day, a rare phenomenon in the Muslim world that has even been reflected in the display of Israeli flags during Kurdish independence demonstrations.
In 1984, he retired from military service and returned to work his agricultural farm in Kfar Hess, the moshav where he had lived since marrying his wife Tzipa, a local resident. He viewed agricultural work not only as a source of income but as a way of life, a substitute for physical exercise, and a values-based environment.
Tzuri Sagi was a beloved friend who maintained close ties with his fellow soldiers and was a central figure in the group known as the “Eindeh Group,” whose members met every month to sing songs of homeland and the Land of Israel.