Addressing a rally in Himachal Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday drew a parallel between India’s successful surgical strikes on terror pockets in Pakistan and covert operations organised by Israel. Modi stressed on the bravery exhibited by Indian soldiers and said they were now "no less" than anybody else; their superiority in executing the surgical strikes was brought on par with the strategic, stealthy operations of the Israeli army.
Here's a look at five of Israel’s most successful operations:
Raid on Entebbe Airport
This was a much-storied operation carried out by the Israeli Defence Force to free 250 passengers and crew, majority of them Israeli, of an Air France plane hijacked by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine on June 27, 1976. As the plane landed at the Entebbe airport in the capital of Uganda, 200 elite commandos landed in three Hercules transport planes and rescued the passengers and crew in a swift 35-minute operation, killing all seven hijackers. Three hostages died.
Operation Bayonet/Wrath of God
A special team formed by Israeli PM Golda Meir hunted down the Black September terrorists who carried out the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre of 11 Israeli athletes. The hunt lasted from 1972 to 1988 and spanned throughout Europe and the Middle East. The 2005 Steven Spielberg film ‘Munich’ starring Eric Bana and Daniel Craig was based on the operation.
Operation Wooden Leg
A six-minute air-strike carried out by eight Israeli F-16 fighter jets on October 1, 1985 destroyed the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organisation) Headquarters in Tunisia. The casualties included 60 PLO members and over 100 civilians. The hit was in retaliation for PLO killing three Israeli tourists onboard a yacht off Cyprus the same year.
Operation Opera
On June 7, 1981, eight F-16A fighter jets bombed the Osirak nuclear reactor in Iraq. The reactor, still being built, was destroyed with no hazards or casualties, and set back the Iraqi nuclear programme by two decades.
Operation Isotope
On May 8, 1972, a team of 16 troops headed by future PMs Ehud Barak and Binyamin Netanyahu stormed a hijacked Belgian airline, Sabena Flight 571 at Tel Aviv airport. Two of the four attackers were killed, and 89 passengers rescued. The militants were from the Black September squad.