During the post, he led a force in the pursuit of a Hamas terrorist in the Hebron region, and was wounded in a collision.

On 3 June 2002, he was promoted to Colonel and appointed commander of baram and served in the post until 2004.

After graduation, he was appointed commander of the Golani Brigade on 4 September 2005, and commanded the division, among others, during the Second Lebanon War including Battle of Bint Jbeil, where the brigade fighters hit about 40 Hezbollah terrorists, and at the end of the battle he led the rescue of the eight killed from the 51st Battalion.

In August 2011, he commanded IDF and Israel Police counter terrorism forces who were summoned to the division, following a terrorist attack in southern Israel, in which 6 civilian police officers and a soldier were killed along with another 30 injured civilians.

In 2025, Yadai was one of three candidates to replace Herzi Halevi as Chief of the General Staff but was ultimately not chosen.