Yossi Sariel
Yossi Sariel | |
|---|---|
| Native name | יוסי שריאל |
| Born | 1978 (age 47–48) |
| Allegiance |  Israel |
Branch | Israel Defense Forces |
Service years | 1997–present |
Rank | Brigadier General |
| Commands | Unit 8200 |
| Awards | Israel Security Award |
Yossi Sariel (Hebrew: יוסי שריאל; born in 1978) is an Israel Defense Forces officer. He was the commander of Unit 8200 in 2018.
Military career
He was born in 1978 and grew up in Haifa. He enlisted in the IDF Intelligence Division in 1997 and served as an intelligence and cyber officer in Unit 8200. Then as an intelligence officer in Division 91, head of the northern arena in the research division, an intelligence officer of the Central Command, and the head of the operational division at Aman.
On 28 February 2021, he was appointed commander of Unit 8200 in place of Brigadier General Asaf Khochan who retired. He also served in this position during the Gaza war until his resignation on 12 September 2024.[1][2][3]
On 23 November 2025, IDF chief of staff Eyal Zamir dismissed Sariel from reservist duty due to his role in Israel's failures on 7 October.[4]
Post-military career
In February 2026, Sariel joined the board of Israeli AI company Decart AI,[5] and founded a new startup called Alma Labs, focused on making AI education accessible to schools and educational institutions.[6]
Book authorship and identification
In 2021, the Success Association published the diary of the director general of the Ministry of Housing, in which he wrote that he met with "Commander of 8200 - Yossi Sariel".[7]
In May 2021, Sariel published the electronic book The Human-Machine Team under the pen name, Brigadier General YS. In the book, he presented his point of view on artificial intelligence and its ability to change the relationship between personnel and machines in the army.[8]
Sariel's identity was confidential, but on 5 April 2024 The Guardian revealed that for years Sariel had public accounts on social networks in which he disclosed his name and rank, as well as an account on the Hebrew Wikipedia under his full name.[9][10]
References
- ↑ Greenwood, Hanan (12 September 2024). "Unit 8200 commander announces resignation, concedes intel lapses". Israel Hayom. Retrieved 12 September 2024.
- ↑ Fabia, Emanuel (12 September 2024). "'I did not fulfill my mission': Commander of IDF's 8200 intelligence unit resigns". Times of Israel.
- ↑ Davies, Harry (12 September 2024). "Head of Israeli spy agency Unit 8200 resigns over 7 October failings". the Guardian. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ↑ Fabian, Emanuel (23 November 2025). "Host of senior officers including ex-IDF intel chief and Air Force chief dismissed, censured over Oct. 7 failures". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
- ↑ "Former Unit 8200 commander Yossi Sariel joins AI unicorn Decart". ctech. 23 February 2026. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
- ↑ וייזברג, מיטל (21 June 2026). "מפקד 8200 לשעבר הקים סטארט-אפ חדש, ובונה על חוזים ממשלתיים | בלעדי". Globes. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
- ↑ "לא רק הספר באמזון: מפקד 8200 השאיר אחריו עקבות דיגיטליים במשך שנים". Israel Hayom (in Hebrew). 10 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ↑ Harel, Amos (1 October 2021). "Top Israeli intel officer goes where no one's gone before. And you can find it on Amazon". Haaretz. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ↑ Davies, Harry; McKernan, Bethan (5 April 2024). "Top Israeli spy chief exposes his true identity in online security lapse". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
- ↑ "Le journal britannique The Guardian révèle l'identité du commandant de l'unité 8200". I24news (in French). 5 April 2024. Retrieved 20 April 2024.