Militaryרפאל סברון

Rafael Sivron

Rafael Sivron is a retired Israeli Air Force officer with the rank of brigadier general who was one of the planners of Operation Moked.

born 1935Planning Operation MokedMedal of Distinguished ServiceSix-Day War helicopter missions

Occupation: military personnel, military officer
Rank: tat aluf
Wars: Yom Kippur War, Suez Crisis, Six-Day War, War of Attrition

Rafael Sivron was born in 1935 in Haifa

Rafael Sivron was born in Haifa in 1935 as Rafael Hoffnung. His parents, Rudolf-Reuven, a doctor of law, and Lotte, had come to Israel from Berlin. He finished the Hugim-era school Tichon Hadash in Haifa and joined the IDF in July 1953.

He began in the Signal Corps and then trained as a navigator in the Air Force flight course, finishing in March 1956. He flew photo missions over Arab countries, then joined the first helicopter squadron. In 1963 he moved to operational planning at Air Force headquarters.

There he planned Operation Moked, a strike on Arab airfields that opened the Six-Day War on 5 June 1967. In that war he flew helicopters to Sharm el-Sheikh and the Golan Heights. In the Yom Kippur War he commanded the air forward command post of Northern Command.

From 1976 to 1980 he was the IDF and Defense Ministry attaché in Britain and Scandinavia. After leaving the army he ran a computing company, and from 1988 to 1999 he headed operational control at El Al. He is married with 5 children and lives in Tel Aviv.

Rafael Sivron's life in 8 milestones

1935
Born in Haifa.
1953
Drafted into the IDF.
1956
Finished flight course as a navigator.
1963
Took part in Operation Halutz and received the Medal of Distinguished Service.
1965
Completed the planning of Operation Moked.
1967
Flew helicopter missions in the Six-Day War.
1976
Became IDF attaché in Britain and Scandinavia.
1988
Became head of operational control at El Al.

Rafael Sivron served in IDF Pilot Course

He served in the Israeli Air Force from 1953 to 1980 as a navigator, helicopter co-pilot and planner, fighting in the Sinai, Six-Day, Attrition and Yom Kippur wars. He retired as a brigadier general.

IDF Pilot Course