Yehuda Amichai Is Awarded the Israel Prize for PoetryCIE+
Renowned Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai jointly wins the 1982 Israel Prize for poetry with Amir Gilboa.
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…
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.
Ex-IDF Chief of Staff David Elazar DiesCIE+
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.
Israeli Commandos Raid BeirutCIE+
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…
Israel Smuggles Sa’ar Missile Boats out of CherbourgCIE+
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.
Nasser Calls for All-Out WarCIE+
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…
Warship Eilat Is SunkCIE+
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.
Israel Downs 6 Syrian MiGs in Air BattleCIE+
After unarmored Israeli tractors were fired upon in the demilitarized zone, Israeli forces began to return fire. The event soon escalated.
U.S. Agrees to Sell A-4 Bombers to IsraelCIE+
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…
Egypt Reveals Details About Captured SpyCIE+
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…
Eli Cohen Is Arrested for EspionageCIE+
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.
Ben-Gurion Resigns Over Lavon AffairCIE+
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.
General and Politician Benny Gantz Is Born
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…
Backdated Signature Facilitates Nuclear ProgramCIE+
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…
Arabs Massacred at Kfar KassemCIE+
IDF troops kill 48 Israeli Arabs returning from their fields at dusk.
Eban, Dulles Discuss Arms DealCIE+
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…
Uzi Unveiled During ParadeCIE+
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…
39 Egyptians, 8 Israelis Killed in IDF Raid on GazaCIE+
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.
Special Forces Unit 101 Is FormedCIE+
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…
Navy Fights First Major BattleCIE+
During the fourth day of Operation Yoav, the fledgling Israeli Navy engages in its first major battle off the coast of Ashkelon, Israel.
Palmach Integrates With IDFCIE+
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.
The Altalena Arrives
The Altalena arrives off the coast of Kfar Vitkin from France carrying 900 immigrants and a large stockpile of weapons.
Ben-Gurion Outlines 5 Keys to Success in War of IndependenceCIE+
Ben-Gurion feared that there were too many decision-making centers in the Yishuv and that urgency and immediacy demanded one single voice.
