Former Mossad spy Rafi Eitan, who commanded the audacious 1960 capture of top Nazi Adolf Eichmann, died on Saturday aged 92, Israeli public radio announced.
Eitan, the handler for Jonathan Pollard, a US Navy analyst who passed Israel thousands of top secret documents, was himself wanted by American authorities for a time.
He died in the afternoon at Tel Aviv's Ichilov hospital, the radio said, without giving further details.
"Rafi was one of the heroes of the state of Israel's intelligence service in countless acts for Israel's security," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.
"We mourn his passing."
Eitan also won a rare eulogy from the Shin Bet domestic security service, for whom he had worked.
"Rafi, who was one of the founders of the Shin Bet's operations branch, led and participated in dozens of groundbreaking operations that will remain unknown for many years to come," agency chief Nadav Argaman wrote in a statement.
"We grieve at his passing and are proud to ...