Avner Naveh

Avner Naveh was born in 1950 in Sdot Yam

Avner Naveh was born on February 12, 1950, and grew up on Kibbutz Sdot Yam. His parents were Hava and Yitzhak (Izzy) Neumann. His two younger brothers, Assaf and Yiftach Neumann, also became fighter pilots.

He finished flight course number 64 in 1971 and flew Ouragan and Super Mystère jets, then F-4 Phantoms from 1972. In 1974 he was one of 10 pilots chosen to bring the F-15 into service and form Squadron 133. He recorded 7 kills of enemy aircraft, all in the F-15 Eagle.

He flew as an F-15 escort in Operation Opera in 1981 and later commanded Squadrons 140 and 106, leading the 1985 strike on PLO headquarters in Tunis. He commanded Ramat David base, headed Air Intelligence and the Air Division, and became deputy commander and chief of staff of the Air Force in 1998. He left the IDF in early 2001.

He holds a bachelor's degree in economics and business administration from Bar-Ilan University. After retiring he founded a consulting firm and served on the boards of companies including ECI, Dan Hotels and Hadassah hospital. He is president and founder of Old North Group.