Moshe Arens, a former Israeli defence minister and one-time mentor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, died Monday aged 93, officials said.
Arens, an aeronautics engineer, was also known for having played a key role in Israel's aerospace and military industries, including by pushing for the development of the Lavi Israeli fighter jet.
Netanyahu and Israeli president Reuven Rivlin eulogised the Lithuanian-born, US-raised Arens.
"My wife Sara and I shed bitter tears over the passing of our beloved Moshe Arens," Netanyahu said in a statement.
He recalled Arens's terms as ambassador to Washington, foreign minister and defence minister, using his nickname Misha, and said he remained clear-headed even in the last stages of his illness.
"A few weeks ago, I visited Misha at his home," Netanyahu wrote. "He was as lucid as ever, as sharp as a razor." Israeli public radio said Arens was suffering from "a severe sickness," a common media euphemism for cancer.
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