---
born: 1906-12-19
category: Intelligence & Government
died: 1982-11-10
location: Kamenskoye, Ukraine (Russian Empire)
summary: In 1972, Brezhnev met with Golda Meir, then Prime Minister of Israel, in
  Finland.
tags:
- Person
- Israel
- Soviet
---

[Leonid Brezhnev](/people/leonid-brezhnev/) was a prominent political figure in the [Soviet Union](/places/soviet-union/) who played a significant role in Middle Eastern affairs during the 1970s, particularly in relation to [Israel](/places/israel/) and the Arab states.

### 1972 Meeting with Golda Meir

In 1972, Brezhnev met with [Golda Meir](/people/golda-meir/), then Prime Minister of [Israel](/places/israel/), in Finland. During this meeting, [Meir](/people/golda-meir/) rejected his proposal for a comprehensive peace settlement in the Middle East.[^1]

### Intelligence Operations and War Implications

This meeting, along with the [Soviets](/places/soviet-union/) bugging [Meir's](/people/golda-meir/) office (discovered by [Reuben Yirador](/people/reuben-yirador/) of [Unit 8200](/organizations/unit-8200/)), informed [Anwar Sadat](/people/anwar-sadat/) of [Israel's](/places/israel/) attitude and may have prompted the 1973 war.[^1]

### 1973 Yom Kippur War Threats

During the 1973 [Yom Kippur War](/events/yom-kippur-war/), as the continued encirclement of the Egyptian Third Army by Israeli forces escalated, Soviet party leader [Leonid Brezhnev](/people/leonid-brezhnev/) increased the alert status of his airborne divisions and warned the White House that unless [Israel](/places/israel/) stopped violating the cease-fire, "we should be faced with the necessity urgently to consider the question of taking appropriate steps unilaterally." The implication was that Brezhnev would send troops as a blocking force behind the front lines in [Egypt](/places/egypt/) to prevent the Israelis from advancing on [Cairo](/places/cairo/).[^2]

[^1]: Ben-Menashe, Ari. _Profits of War: Inside the Secret U.S.-Israeli Arms Network_. TrineDay, 1992. [^2]: Hersh, Seymour M. _The Samson Option: Israel's Nuclear Arsenal and American Foreign Policy_. Random House, 1991. Chapter 17.