National Experiences - British Commission for Military History

tH e mi l i ta ry do C t r i n e o f t H e is r a e l i air fo r C e 157
a. Rescue of the hostages from Uganda (“Yonathan Operation”)
In the end of June 1976, an Air France plane departed from Israel on his way
to France. The airplane landed in Athens, and after his departure from there it was
hijacked by Arab and German terrorists, and flown with all its passengers on board
to Entebbe airport in Uganda, where they were held hostage. The Jewish passengers
were separated from the non-Jewish ones, who were soon released. The hijackers
demanded the release of dozens of terrorists and murderers held in Israeli jails, or
if their demands were not met, they would kill the hostages. Thus both humiliating
Israel and forcing it to bow to the terrorist’s demands.
The Israeli government was faced with a terrible dilemma, either to give in to
the terrorists’ demands, with its resulting humiliation, or military intervention. The
air force came up with a plan to fly Israeli Special Forces to Entebbe and to rescue
the hostages. The plan was accepted and the detailed planning and training of the
troops was completed in only four days. The IAF flew the forces between the 3td
and 4th July thousands of kilometers away to Entebbe, where it gained control of the
airport, freed the hostages, killed the terrorists and any Ugandan troops that had been
involved in trying to stop the operation. The soldiers, airmen and hostages returned
back to Israel with a tumultuous welcome that echoed around the world. One brilliant
Israeli officer named Yonathan was killed in this operation. The IDF hence the
name of this operation –”Yonathan”.
b. Destruction of the Iraqi Nuclear Reactor (“Opera Operation”)
Another operation carried out far from the borders of Israel which achieved world
Bombing of the
Nassarieh airfield in
Syria, Yom Kippur
War.