Iraqi Scuds Strike IsraelCIE+
January 18, 1991 Iraq fires eight Scud missiles at Israel in the predawn hours of the morning after U.S.-led allied forces launch airstrikes on Iraq at the outset of the Persian Gulf War. Missiles hit…
Bus 405 Suicide Attack Kills or Wounds 33
When Bus 405 passed a ravine near Jerusalem, a Palestinian terrorist seizes control of the wheel and runs the bus over the cliff, killing 16 passengers and injuring 17 others.
PLO Militant Abu Jihad Is Killed at Home in TunisCIE+
PLO leader Khalil al-Wazir, the architect of a number notorious terrorist attacks against Israelis, is killed by Israeli Special Forces in his home in Tunis.
First Intifada Breaks OutCIE+
December 9, 1987 Riots erupt in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank in what comes to be recognized as the start of the First Intifada, an Arabic word meaning “awakening” or “uprising.” The immediate…
Cabinet Halts Lavi ProductionCIE+
August 30, 1987 On a 12-11 vote, the Israeli Cabinet decides to end production of the Lavi fighter jet, under development since 1980 by Israel Aerospace Industries and first flown as a prototype in December…
Jonathan Pollard Is Sentenced to Life in PrisonCIE+
Jonathan Pollard, accused of spying for Israel, is sentenced to life in prison for espionage. He is later released in 2015.
Terrorists Capture Flyer Ron AradCIE+
Ron Arad, the 28-year-old navigator of an Israeli F-4 Phantom II, is captured by the Shia terrorist group Amal after parachuting out of his burning aircraft over Lebanon.
U.S., Israel Agree to Cooperate on Strategic Defense InitiativeCIE+
Israel and the United States sign a secret agreement for Israeli participation in Strategic Defense Initiative (“Star Wars”) research.
Achille Lauro Is HijackedCIE+
Members of the Palestinian Liberation Front hijack the cruise ship Achille Lauro off the coast of Egypt. The ship had departed from Genoa, Italy on October 3rd with 748 passengers on board for an 11-day cruise with planned stops in Naples, Alexandria, Port Said, and Ashdod, Israel.
TWA Flight 847 HijackedCIE+
June 14, 1985 Two Lebanese Shiite terrorists armed with grenades and handguns hijack TWA Flight 847, a 727 traveling from Cairo to San Diego with scheduled stops in Athens, Rome, Boston and Los Angeles, shortly…
Shin Bet Arrests 15 Jewish Underground TerroristsCIE+
After a two-year investigation, the Shin Bet (The Israeli Security Force) arrests fifteen members of the Jewish Underground.
Egged Bus 300 Is HijackedCIE+
Egged bus 300 traveling from Tel Aviv to Ashkelon is attacked by four Palestinian terrorists. They take the forty passengers hostage.
Abu Musa Declares a Palestinian Revolt Against ArafatCIE+
Palestinian militant factions unsuccessfully challenge Arafat’s control during the First Lebanon War.
Israelis Protest Sabra and Shatila MassacreCIE+
September 25, 1982 An estimated 400,000 protesters in Tel Aviv demonstrate anger at the massacre in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Lebanon and demand an investigation into Israel’s role and responsibility. Organized by…
Multinational Force Arrives in Beirut to Oversee PLO EvacuationCIE+
American, French, and Italian troops supervise the evacuation of around 15,000 PLO forces from Lebanon’s capital. Terrorists and Syrian forces leaving Beirut are one of Israel’s principal goals during the 1982 Lebanon War.
Palestinian Terrorists Attack Jewish Restaurant in ParisCIE+
Chez Jo Goldberg, a Jewish deli in Paris, is attacked by two terrorists wielding grenades and machine guns. Six people are killed and twenty-two injured. The attack is believed to have been planned and carried out by the Abu Nidal Organization, an international Palestinian terrorist group.
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.
Moshe Dayan Dies at 66CIE+
Moshe Dayan, Israel’s iconic military and political leader, passes away from a heart attack in a Tel Aviv hospital at the age of 66.
Ronald Reagan Arms Saudi ArabiaCIE+
President Ronald Reagan announces a plan to sell military aircraft to Saudi Arabia.
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…
Jewish Underground Bombs Palestinian Officials
June 2, 1980 HaMakhteret HaYehudit (the Jewish Underground), a terrorist group formed by members of the Orthodox Gush Emunim movement, launches its first round of car-bomb attacks on West Bank Palestinian officials. Bassam Shakaa, the…
Yigal Allon DiesCIE+
Yigal Alon, born in 1918 in Kfar Tabor, begins his career in the Haganah. Later elected to the Knesset in 1954, he remains a parliament member until his death.
Khomeini Returns to IranCIE+
After 15 years in exile, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini returns to Iran, two weeks after the Shah of Iran flees the country.
Munich Mastermind AssassinatedCIE+
January 22, 1979 Ali Hassan Salameh, the mastermind behind the Palestinian terrorist attack on the Israeli team at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, dies at a hospital about 30 minutes after a Mossad car…
