Jerusalem (CNN) -- Yitzhak Shamir, a political hard-liner who served two terms as Israeli prime minster, died Saturday, the prime minister's office said. Shamir, 96, served as premier from 1983 to 1984, and from 1986 to 1992. He also was Israel's foreign minister from 1980 to 1986. Born in Poland, Shamir moved to Palestine and fought for Israeli independence. He joined the Likud movement, serving as a member of Israel's parliament, and also worked for the Mossad, Israel's intelligence service. Shamir succeeded Menachem Begin as prime minister in 1983. "Yitzhak Shamir belonged to the generation of giants who established the State of Israel and fought for the freedom of the Jewish people on their land," said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a fellow Likud member.
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Shimon Peres calls Shamir a "brave warrior"
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The 96-year-old politician was involved in key foreign policy initiatives
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Netanyahu says he "belonged to the generation of giants" that established the state
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Shamir led Israel during the first Gulf War, when Iraqi missiles fell on Israel
During the operation, which took less than 48 hours, 14,000 Jews boarded Israeli planes to emigrate to @placeholder, according to the Israeli government.