12.07.2015 Views

By Way of Deception

By Way of Deception

By Way of Deception

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS
  • No tags were found...

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

BY WAY OF DECEPTION 28blasted apart. Two other major buildings, both vital to the plant,were badly damaged. Videotape recorded by Israeli pilots and latershown to an Israeli parliamentary committee, captured the reactorcore bursting apart and tumbling into the cooling pool.Begin had originally scheduled the strike for late April onintelligence from the Mossad that the reactor would be operatingby July 1. He postponed the strike after newspaper stories sayingthat former defense minister Ezer Weizman told friends that Beginwas "preparing an adventurous pre-election operation."Another target date, May 10, just seven weeks before Israel's June30 election, was also abandoned when Labor Party leader ShimonPeres sent Begin a "personal" and "top secret" note saying heshould "desist" from the attack because the Mossad intelligencewas "not realistic." Peres predicted the attack could isolate Israel"like a tree in the desert."Just three hours after they'd taken <strong>of</strong>f, the fighter planes arrivedsafely back in Israel. For two hours, Prime Minister MenachemBegin had been waiting for news in his home on SmolenskinStreet, with his entire cabinet in attendance.Shortly before 7 p.m., General Rafael Eitan, commander-inchief <strong>of</strong>the Israeli army, phoned Begin to say the mission had beenaccomplished (this final stage was called Operation Babylon) andall hands were safe.Begin is reported to have said "Baruch hashem," Hebrew for"Blessed be God."Saddam Hussein's immediate reaction was never publiclyrecorded.

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!