Eitan Ben Eliyahu

Eitan Ben Eliyahu was born in 1944 in Jerusalem

Ben Eliyahu was born in Jerusalem in 1944. His father came from Iran and his mother was born in Macedonia. He attended a religious school and was a member of the religious scouts youth movement.

He earned a bachelor's degree in economics and business administration from Bar Ilan University. He studied strategy and international relations for a master's degree and completed an advanced management program at Harvard.

He became a fighter pilot and flew in the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War, when he led Squadron 201. He commanded the first F-15 squadron, flew as an escort in the 1981 strike on Iraq's nuclear reactor and later commanded Ramat David base. In 1996 he became commander of the air force and served until April 2000.

After leaving the army he ran a venture capital fund and cofounded Sentry Technology Group. In 2012 he became chairman of Aeronautics, a maker of unmanned aircraft. He has also served as a television commentator and as chairman of an academic college in Ramat Gan.