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Home › Explore & Learn › Today in Israeli History › Page 2

Haganah and IDF

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Today in Israeli History
Haganah and IDF
Yehuda Amichai Is Awarded the Israel Prize for Poetry

Yehuda Amichai Is Awarded the Israel Prize for Poetry CIE+ CIE+ members only

Renowned Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai jointly wins the 1982 Israel Prize for poetry with Amir Gilboa.

Today in Israeli History|April 28, 1982
Israel Destroys Iraq’s Nuclear Reactor

Israel Destroys Iraq’s Nuclear Reactor

June 7, 1981 Eight Israeli F-16s fly a 2,000-mile round trip to bomb Iraq’s Osirak plutonium nuclear reactor at the Tammuz I complex 10 miles south of Baghdad. The mission, Operation Opera, succeeds at destroying…

Today in Israeli History|June 7, 1981
IDF Carries Out Daring Rescue of Jewish Hostages at Entebbe

IDF Carries Out Daring Rescue of Jewish Hostages at Entebbe

Elite Israeli military forces launch a successful rescue attempt of Israeli hostages on board a hijacked Air France flight at Entebbe Airport, Uganda. PM Netanyahu’s brother, Yoni Netanyahu is killed in operation.

Today in Israeli History|July 4, 1976
Ex-IDF Chief of Staff David Elazar Dies

Ex-IDF Chief of Staff David Elazar Dies CIE+ CIE+ members only

David Elazar, who served as Chief of Staff of the IDF in the early 1970s, passes away at the age of fifty following a heart attack.

Today in Israeli History|April 14, 1976
Israeli Commandos Raid Beirut

Israeli Commandos Raid Beirut CIE+ CIE+ members only

April 9, 1973 Israeli commandos conduct a seaborne night raid on Beirut to kill three leaders in the Palestine Liberation Organization and its Black September wing, the terrorist group responsible for the Munich Olympics massacre…

Today in Israeli History|April 9, 1973
Israel Smuggles Sa’ar Missile Boats out of Cherbourg

Israel Smuggles Sa’ar Missile Boats out of Cherbourg CIE+ CIE+ members only

Israeli teams are sent to France to work in local shipyards. The Mossad established a “front” shipping company to buy the remaining boats and then return them to Israel.

Today in Israeli History|December 24, 1969
Nasser Calls for All-Out War

Nasser Calls for All-Out War

August 23, 1969 Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, who has adopted devout Muslim observance since losing the June 1967 war to Israel, responds to the arson attack on Al-Aqsa mosque two days earlier by calling…

Today in Israeli History|August 23, 1969
Warship Eilat Is Sunk

Warship Eilat Is Sunk CIE+ CIE+ members only

The Israeli destroyer INS Eilat is sunk in the Mediterranean in international waters off Port Said by Soviet-made missiles launched by Egyptian missile boats.

Today in Israeli History|October 21, 1967
Israel Downs 6 Syrian MiGs in Air Battle

Israel Downs 6 Syrian MiGs in Air Battle CIE+ CIE+ members only

After unarmored Israeli tractors were fired upon in the demilitarized zone, Israeli forces began to return fire. The event soon escalated.

Today in Israeli History|April 7, 1967
U.S. Agrees to Sell A-4 Bombers to Israel

U.S. Agrees to Sell A-4 Bombers to Israel CIE+ CIE+ members only

May 19, 1966 The Johnson administration announces that it will sell A-4 Skyhawk light bombers to Israel, marking the first sale of U.S. warplanes to Israel and a shift from France to the United States…

Today in Israeli History|May 19, 1966
Egypt Reveals Details About Captured Spy

Egypt Reveals Details About Captured Spy CIE+ CIE+ members only

March 7, 1965 Egyptian authorities release details about the arrest Feb. 22 of German-Israeli spy Wolfgang Lotz and his wife, Waldrud, on espionage charges. Some reports say Lotz’s arrest was part of a roundup of…

Today in Israeli History|March 7, 1965
Eli Cohen Is Arrested for Espionage

Eli Cohen Is Arrested for Espionage CIE+ CIE+ members only

Syrian police raid the home of Damascus businessman Kamel Amin Tha’abet, who is in fact a Mossad Spy named Eli Cohen, and arrest him on charges of espionage.

Today in Israeli History|January 24, 1964
Ben-Gurion Resigns Over Lavon Affair

Ben-Gurion Resigns Over Lavon Affair CIE+ CIE+ members only

Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion resigns as a result of the controversial, covert operation in Egypt, setting the stage for new elections in the summer of 1961.

Today in Israeli History|January 31, 1961
General and Politician Benny Gantz Is Born

General and Politician Benny Gantz Is Born CIE+ CIE+ members only

June 9, 1959 Benjamin “Benny” Gantz, who rises to chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces and a top candidate for prime minister, is born in Kfar Ahim. His father is a native of…

Today in Israeli History|June 9, 1959
Backdated Signature Facilitates Nuclear Program

Backdated Signature Facilitates Nuclear Program

September 30, 1957 French Prime Minister Maurice Bourgès-Maunoury backdates to today his signature on a letter granting Israel’s request for France’s cooperation in building a heavy-water nuclear reactor and reprocessing facility. He actually signs the…

Today in Israeli History|September 30, 1957
Arabs Massacred at Kfar Kassem

Arabs Massacred at Kfar Kassem CIE+ CIE+ members only

IDF troops kill 48 Israeli Arabs returning from their fields at dusk.

Today in Israeli History|October 29, 1956
Eban, Dulles Discuss Arms Deal

Eban, Dulles Discuss Arms Deal CIE+ CIE+ members only

January 25, 1956 Abba Eban, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, and John Foster Dulles, the U.S. secretary of state, discuss a proposal for the United States to sell Israel $50 million worth of weapons…

Today in Israeli History|January 25, 1956
Uzi Unveiled During Parade

Uzi Unveiled During Parade CIE+ CIE+ members only

April 27, 1955 The Israeli public receives its first look at the Uzi submachine gun in the hands of Israel Defense Forces troops during a Yom HaAtzmaut (Independence Day) parade. The weapon had its first…

Today in Israeli History|April 27, 1955
39 Egyptians, 8 Israelis Killed in IDF Raid on Gaza

39 Egyptians, 8 Israelis Killed in IDF Raid on Gaza CIE+ CIE+ members only

Two Israeli paratrooper platoons made up of approximately fifty IDF soldiers storm an Egyptian army camp in Gaza. The raid is a reprisal for continued fedayeen (Palestinian militants) attacks against Israeli civilians.

Today in Israeli History|February 28, 1955
Special Forces Unit 101 Is Formed

Special Forces Unit 101 Is Formed

August 5, 1953 Unit 101, an independent special forces section of the Israel Defense Forces, is formed under the command of Ariel Sharon, hand-picked by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion. Facing the constant threat of terrorist…

Today in Israeli History|August 5, 1953
Navy Fights First Major Battle

Navy Fights First Major Battle CIE+ CIE+ members only

During the fourth day of Operation Yoav, the fledgling Israeli Navy engages in its first major battle off the coast of Ashkelon, Israel.

Today in Israeli History|October 19, 1948
Palmach Integrates With IDF

Palmach Integrates With IDF CIE+ CIE+ members only

Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion summons dozens of Palmach commanders for a conference. There he announces a plan to dismantle the elite, underground fighting unit and integrate it into the newly established Israel Defense Forces.

Today in Israeli History|September 14, 1948
The Altalena Arrives

The Altalena Arrives CIE+ CIE+ members only

The Altalena arrives off the coast of Kfar Vitkin from France carrying 900 immigrants and a large stockpile of weapons.

Today in Israeli History|June 20, 1948
Ben-Gurion Outlines 5 Keys to Success in War of Independence

Ben-Gurion Outlines 5 Keys to Success in War of Independence CIE+ CIE+ members only

Ben-Gurion feared that there were too many decision-making centers in the Yishuv and that urgency and immediacy demanded one single voice.

Today in Israeli History|April 6, 1948
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