Tsuri Śagi

Tsuri Sagi (né Sheinkin, ; 1934 – 19 August 2026) was an Israeli military officer and senior commander in the 35th Paratroopers Brigade. During the First Iraqi–Kurdish War, he helped Kurdish forces train and strategize on behalf of the Mossad and became close with Kurdish leader Mustafa Barzani. His planning enabled a major Kurdish victory against the Iraqi Armed Forces in the May 1966 battle of Mount Handrin, which was won by an ambush that killed around 3,000 Iraqi soldiers. He returned to Kurdistan during the Second Iraqi–Kurdish War in 1974 and helped the Peshmerga achieve victories against the Iraqi army, although the war ended in a peace deal that forced the Kurds to cut ties with Israel.

Early life Sagi was born as Tsuri Sheinkin in Herzliya, Mandatory Palestine, in 1934 to Mordechai and Froma Sheinkin, who were from Latvia and Poland, respectively,

Military career

Early service (1952–1965) Sagi, then Sheinkin, enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in 1952, joining the 35th Paratroopers Brigade. During his service, he adopted a Hebrew surname, as customary in the IDF.

During the 1956 Suez Crisis, he was promoted to commander of Company C of the 890th Battalion and took part in the battle of Mitla Pass. Between 1959 and 1960, he commanded a paratrooper patrol, before being sent to Ethiopia to train its army officers. From 1963 to 1965, he served as commander of the 890th Battalion. The battalion conducted , a raid in Jordanian-controlled Qalqilya; Sagi's role as commander of the raid was praised by then-IDF chief Yitzhak Rabin, who said: "It was a good performance in accordance with the objectives that were set. I have no words, only words of praise." Sagi was sent to northern Iraq by Mossad commander Meir Amit, accompanied by Mossad agent and Persian-speaker Maki Evron. There, he met with Kurdistan Democratic Party leader Mustafa Barzani and presented his plan: a force of 1,000 fighters were to be stationed in two channels between the mountains, where they would conduct an ambush against Iraqi forces. Barzani, however, was not able to understand the plan, as he was unable to read a map.

In the meantime, Sagi helped establish defensive lines for the Kurds against the Iraqis. When the Iraqi offensive began in May 1966, these lines were crushed. At this point, Sagi was ordered by the IDF to return to Israel, which he refused. He asked Maki: "Which is the best Iraqi brigade?", which he answered with: "The 4th Brigade". Sagi decided to enact his plan against this brigade, and ordered a Kurdish battalion of 1,000 men to retreat into Mount Handrin, which reluctantly agreed. The battalion was positioned into two channels. When the 4th Brigade, numbering 5,000 soldiers, charged into the mountains, they were ambushed on all sides in the battle of Mount Handrin, suffering at least 3,000 deaths. Two more Iraqi brigades were sent to the area, and retreated after suffering heavy losses.

After returning to Tehran, he was reprimanded by an Israeli delegation, who told him "Who do you think you are—Ben Gurion?" Before leaving to Israel in 1967,

In 1977, he was promoted to brigadier general and commanded the Solomon Region in the Sinai Peninsula until 1980. After studying at the National Security College for a year, he took command of the Central Command's 81st Regional Divison until 1983. In 1984, he retired from the IDF. In 2012, he was given the honorary title "Yakir" by Ramat Gan.