Yossi Sariel Explained

Yossi Sariel
Birth Place:Haifa, Israel
Allegiance: Israel
Branch:Israel Defense Forces
Rank:Brigadier General
Serviceyears:1997–present
Commands:Unit 8200
Awards:Israel Security Award

Yossi Sariel (born in 1978) is an Israel Defense Forces officer. He is the commander of Unit 8200. In 2018 he was awarded the Israel Security Award for an artificial intelligence project and an anti-terrorism project.

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 AMN.

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 Israel–Hamas war.

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".[1]

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.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Sariel's identity was confidential, but on 5 April 2024 The Guardian revealed that for years Shariel 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.[7] [8] [9]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2024-04-10 . לא רק הספר באמזון: מפקד 8200 השאיר אחריו עקבות דיגיטליים במשך שנים ישראל היום . 2024-04-13 . www.israelhayom.co.il.
  2. News: Harel . Amos . 2021-10-01 . Top Israeli intel officer goes where no one's gone before. And you can find it on Amazon . 2024-04-13 . Haaretz . en.
  3. News: Melman . Yossi . 2024-04-11 . Israeli intelligence is an aggressive censor, until its own negligence is exposed . 2024-04-13 . Haaretz . en.
  4. News: Israeli Spy Chief Accidentally Blows Cover with Amazon Self-Publishing . 2024-04-13 . The New Republic . 0028-6583.
  5. Web site: LIBERATION . Un haut responsable des services secrets israéliens dévoile son identité par erreur . 2024-04-13 . Libération . fr.
  6. Web site: admin . 2024-04-05 . Identity Exposed: Israel's Unit 8200 Commander Revealed in Security Blunder . 2024-04-13 . Palestine Chronicle . en-US.
  7. News: Davies . Harry . McKernan . Bethan . 2024-04-05 . Top Israeli spy chief exposes his true identity in online security lapse . 2024-04-13 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  8. News: Davies . Harry . Ganguly . Manisha . 2024-04-09 . Digital trail identifying Israeli spy chief has been online for years . 2024-04-13 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  9. Web site: i24NEWS . 2024-04-05 . Le journal britannique The Guardian révèle l'identité du commandant de l'unité 8200 . 2024-04-20 . I24news . fr.