Khalil al-Wazir, also known as Abu Jihad, is a founder of Fatah, a faction of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, along with Yasser Arafat. An influential figure in Palestinian military actions and attacks against Israel, al-Wazir’s most notorious operations are the 1975 Savoy Hotel Massacre, which claims the lives of 11 Israelis and the 1978 Coastal Road Massacre, which claims the lives of 38 Israelis. Likewise responsible for the development of Palestinian military infrastructure, al-Wazir is credited with being the mastermind behind the militant cells in the Palestinian territories which fought in the First Intifada.
His involvement in organizing the 1987 Intifada is the straw that breaks the camel’s back for the Israeli military establishment. Deciding it is time to carry out a mission to assassinate al-Wazir in his Tunis home, the IDF devises a complicated plan, which involves ferrying Israeli commandos from the elite Sayeret Maktal unit to the shoreline in Tunis, eventually making their way to al-Wazir’s home to kill him.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Former IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya’alon are integrally involved with this maneuver. Nahum Lev, the commander of the operation, later admits to shooting al-Wazir “with a long burst of fire.” During the raid, Lev and another soldier who is dressed as a woman pretend to be a couple on vacation. Lev carries a box of chocolates which hold a gun. The IDF did not actually take responsibility for the execution until 2012, when the details of the raid are released to the public.
The photo shows Al-Wazir (Left) with Yasser Arafat in the 1980s. Photo Source: Ynet News.