He flew a plane out of Beirut. Israel scrambled F-16s to intercept him

In 1982, during Israel's invasion of Lebanon, an Israeli soldier arrived at Beirut airport, climbed into a small Cessna aircraft and flew it back to Israel. His unexpected journey triggered a military alert, prompting the Israeli Air Force to scramble two F-16 fighter jets to intercept him. He landed safely in Haifa, only to find himself in military detention, accused of looting. That soldier was Yishai Zimmerman, a decorated veteran of the IDF's legendary Unit 101, who died Monday at age 93 at Kibbutz Ein Harod Ihud in northern Israel. One of the last surviving members of the elite commando unit established in the 1950s under Ariel Sharon, Zimmerman left behind a military career marked by extraordinary bravery, repeated injuries in combat and an unmistakable rebellious streak. He is survived by six children, 15 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. His funeral will take place Tuesday at his kibbutz. "Dad continued serving in the reserves until he was over 80, transporting tanks," his son, retired police Brig. Gen. Amal Zimmerman, a former commander of the Israel Police Air Unit, told ynet. "He was the oldest tank transporter in the IDF, and possibly in the world. Dad was mischievous. He took the mischief of the old kibbutzniks to another level. He was also brave and didn't know the meaning of the word fear." From military jail to Ariel Sharon's elite commando unit Zimmerman was born in 1933 at Kibbutz Ein Harod to parents who were among the early pioneers of the Jezreel Valley and the founders of the kibbutz. The political split that divided Israel's kibbutz movement in the early 1950s also divided his family. Zimmerman moved with his father to Ein Harod Ihud, while his mother and brother Malachi remained at Ein Harod Meuhad, the neighboring kibbutz created by the division. As a boy, Zimmerman attended school alongside Meir Har-Zion, who would later become one of Israel's most celebrated commandos. The two eventually served together in the military. Zimmerman initially enlisted in the Armored Corps, but his military career took an unexpected turn when Sharon began recruiting soldiers for Unit 101, the small commando force established in 1953 to conduct cross-border operations. "When they established Unit 101, recruitment worked through friends bringing friends," his son recalled. "Arik Sharon received glowing recommendations about Dad, so he got him out of military jail. Dad had gotten into trouble for doing foolish things and leaving for the weekend without permission." The young soldier soon became part of some of the unit's most daring operations, serving from its establishment until its dissolution. "He participated in the most audacious operations carried out by Unit 101," his son said. A medal for bravery and wounds from two wars Zimmerman later completed officer training and went on to distinguish himself during the 1956 Sinai campaign, known in Israel as Operation Kadesh. Commanding a force tasked with capturing an Egyptian military position near Nitzana, he took part in a battle that earned him Israel's Medal of Courage. "The mission was to take control of an artillery compound, including mortar positions," Amal Zimmerman said. "Dad had been given command of a platoon only shortly before the operation. He didn't know the soldiers, and it turned out that he fought alone and captured the compound by himself." Following the Sinai campaign, Zimmerman left active military service and returned to his kibbutz, where he worked in the garage for the rest of his life. His civilian career, however, did not mean an end to his military involvement. He continued serving in the reserves and was wounded in both the 1967 Six-Day War and the 1973 Yom Kippur War, during which he served with forces fighting under Sharon. Even decades later, long after most soldiers had retired from reserve duty, Zimmerman continued transporting tanks for the IDF. The stolen Cessna and the F-16 interception One of the most unusual episodes in Zimmerman's life began with a childhood ambition to fly. As a young man, he had obtained a civilian pilot's license after taking flying lessons at Megiddo airfield in northern Israel. That qualification would eventually lead to an extraordinary incident during the 1982 Lebanon War. Zimmerman was serving with a special intelligence unit when he arrived at Beirut airport, took a Cessna aircraft and flew it toward Israel. "He informed the air traffic control unit over the radio that he was coming, but they scrambled two F-16s to intercept him," his son recalled. "They were worried it was a hijacked plane carrying Israelis, so the fighter jets escorted him to a landing in Haifa." Instead of receiving a hero's welcome, Zimmerman found himself in trouble with the military authorities. "He spent a month in military jail before his trial and was charged with looting," his son said. The aircraft was eventually returned to Lebanon. The report did not specify the outcome of the legal proceedings. According to his son, even the military prosecutor appeared to recognize the extraordinary nature of the episode. "The prosecutor told him that next time he should call him, because he also wanted to have an experience like that," Amal Zimmerman recalled. For Zimmerman's family, the Beirut adventure captured the character of a man who had fought in several of Israel's wars, earned a decoration for bravery and continued volunteering for military service long after the age when most people retire. He was a fearless soldier, his son said, but also a mischievous kibbutznik who never entirely outgrew his appetite for adventure.