Moshe Arens, a former Israeli defence minister, foreign minister and an early political mentor to Benjamin Netanyahu, has died aged 93.
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Netanyahu eulogised him on Monday, saying there was "no greater patriot than him." The prime minister said he loved him as "a son loves his father."
Arens was born in Lithuania but grew up in the United States, where he served in the military during World War II.
After emigrating to Israel, he became a stalwart in the hawkish Likud party, for whose governments he served three stints as defence minister.
An engineer by training, he was instrumental in developing Israel's military and aircraft industries.
In the early 1980s, he was the first to recognise the skills of a young Benjamin Netanyahu and brought him into Israeli politics.
Australian Associated Press
