25 Facts About Meir Dagan

Aluf Meir Dagan was an Israel Defense Forces Major General and Director of the Mossad.

The family initially lived in an immigrant camp in Lod before settling in Bat Yam, where Meir Dagan grew up and his parents ran a laundry business.

Meir Dagan was a vegetarian and an amateur painter, who studied painting and sculpture at Tel Aviv University.

Meir Dagan was married to Bina and had three children.

Meir Dagan was conscripted into the Israel Defense Forces in 1963.

Meir Dagan was considered for the elite Sayeret Matkal unit, but ended up joining the Paratroopers Brigade.

Meir Dagan completed his compulsory service in 1966, but was called up as a reservist in 1967, and fought in the Six-Day War as an officer, commanding a paratrooper platoon on the Sinai front.

Sharon stated that Meir Dagan specialized in 'separating an Arab from his head.

Meir Dagan later fought in the 1973 Yom Kippur War as an officer on the Sinai front, and participated in the crossing of the Suez Canal.

Meir Dagan later served as a counterterrorism adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and he initially served as a National Security Adviser to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

Meir Dagan was allegedly aggressive in ordering killings of terrorists on foreign soil.

The Mossad under Meir Dagan has undergone a revolution in terms of organization, intelligence and operations.

Meir Dagan was reconfirmed as Mossad director until the end of 2008 by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in February 2007, and in June 2008, Olmert again extended his tenure until the end of 2009.

In mid-2007, Meir Dagan had a "spat" with the Deputy Director N, who was thought to be a candidate for replacing Meir Dagan in late 2008.

Meir Dagan restored his former deputy "T" to the post and Meir Dagan was thought likely to recommend "T" as his replacement.

Meir Dagan was re-appointed in 2009 by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to serve until the end of 2010.

Meir Dagan called it a "stupid idea" in a May 2011 conference.

Meir Dagan served as the director of the Israel Port Authority, and in 2011 was appointed chairman of Gulliver Energy Ltd.

Meir Dagan served as honorary president of the Israeli private intelligence agency Black Cube until his death in 2016.

In 2012, Meir Dagan was diagnosed with liver cancer, and began chemotherapy treatment, but the cancer spread and he began to suffer from liver failure.

At the time, criteria for a liver transplant in Israel dictated the patient must be no older than 65, so the 67-year-old Meir Dagan had to seek treatment abroad.

On 27 October 2012, after his condition had stabilized, Meir Dagan returned to Israel and was immediately hospitalized.

Meir Dagan was discharged from Ichilov Hospital and began recuperating.

Meir Dagan was accompanied throughout his ordeal by Rabbi Avraham Elimelech Firer, with whom he developed a close relationship, and later reciprocated by helping Firer raise funds for a new rehabilitation center.

Meir Dagan died of cancer on 17 March 2016 at the age of 71.