Herzl Bodinger

Herzl Bodinger (; 1943 – 10 November 2025) was a general in the Israel Defense Forces who served as twelfth Commander of the Israeli Air Force between 1992 and 1996. He previously served several other command roles in the Israeli Air Force (IAF), and also participated in aerial operations over Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria, shooting down two fighter jets.

Early life and education Bodinger's father, Yitzhak, was born in 1913 in Suceava, Romania, and immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1933; A member of Haganah, he joined the Palestine Police Force's detective department while keeping his membership of Haganah a secret. His mother, Dina Shalem, was born in Mumbai, India, in 1921, and immigrated to Haifa in 1935. She worked at the Royal Air Force Operations Center. The couple met in 1941 and married the following year. They had three children, Herzl being the firstborn. Yitzhak fought for Israel's independence during the 1948 Palestine War, also known as the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and later joined the Israel Police as one of its founders.

Bodinger was born in Haifa in 1943. In 1961, he joined the IAF and finished his pilot training two years later. In 1964, he was nearly killed after his plane's engines malfunctioned, forcing him to make an emergency landing. As a result, he suffered a back injury and spent several months in rehabilitation.

Air Force career During the Six-Day War, Bodinger served as a Vautour pilot and participated in Operation Focus (Moked), attacking Egypt's Luxor and Beni Suef air bases and Iraq's H-3 Air Base, destroying ten Tupolev Tu-16 bombers on the ground. During the Luxor attack, his plane was struck by anti-aircraft fire, causing a fuel leak and disabling an engine. He was able to safely land in Eilat. Bodinger succeeded Avihu Ben-Nun as the commander of the IAF. During his tenure, the IAF struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon as part of Operation Accountability in 1993. In 1996, the IAF again struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon under his command during Operation Grapes of Wrath.

Bodinger oversaw key modernization efforts by the IAF, including the acquisition of Black Hawk helicopters and F-15I fighter jets. The IDF also improved its long-range attack capabilities under his command, as a response to lessons learned in the Gulf War.

His term ended in July 1996, and he was replaced by Eitan Ben Eliyahu. In 2013, he was considered a candidate for National Security Advisor, but the role was given to Yossi Cohen. His funeral was held the following day at the Kiryat Shaul Cemetery, during which then-IAF commander Tomer Bar paid tribute to him.