The US carried out additional airstrikes targeting enemy positions and rocket launchers near Deir ez-Zor in northeast Syria following a rocket attack on coalition bases For me, today it connects with our ability to remove threats in distant countries in the third circle [meaning, Iran]. Rescue workers said many children were among those killed or injured in the suspected chemical attack in Idlib. We began to suspect that there, in broad daylight, a reactor was hiding.. One of the key figures who led to the decision to bomb the Syrian reactor, the head of the Mossad at the time, Meir Dagan, died in March last year. However, said the president, he had decided to send an envoy to Syria to pose an ultimatum to Assad to demolish the reactor, under international supervision. USS. Syria Capt Davis stressed that the US had taken "extraordinary measures" to avoid civilian casualties and that planners "took precautions to minimise risk to Russian or Syrian personnel located at the airfield". A U.S. airstrike targeting facilities used by Iran-backed militias in Syria appears to be a message to Tehran delivered by a new American administration still figuring out its approach to the Middle East. In the background, of course, there was the historical memory of the Begin doctrine and the precedent of the bombing of the reactor in Iraq in 1981 (an operation in which MI chief Yadlin had been one of the eight pilots who carried out the attack). In mid-August, Olmert convened a dramatic cabinet meeting to discuss the implications of the attack. Read about our approach to external linking. The next breakthrough, in fact the turning point of the whole affair, occurred in Vienna in early March 2007. When the IAEA wanted to visit the site, following reports of the attack and leaked allegations that it had actually been a nuclear reactor, the Syrians claimed there was nothing to see because there had been nothing there. I dont know what was going through his conspiratorial mind, but Baraks view was correct in my opinion: Leave no stone unturned before you make such a fateful move.. The researchers believed that this was the sign of the existence of a cooling system, an essential element in a reactor. [c], At the beginning, there were no signs of the quarrels that would destroy the military committee. [18] The military, which in many countries is conservative and elitist, became radicalised in Syria because the military wanted greater power, believing that the traditional elite was unable to defend the country. "[27] From that day, Umran gave the civilians a faint idea of what the committee members were planning. The move was denied by the Russian defence ministry, but further satellite images taken at the end of March 2016 showed several Ka-52 Alligator and Mi-28N Night Hunter attack helicopters had also arrived, according to IHS Jane's. We had a big hug. The planning and the unfolding conspiracy was inspired by the Iraqi Regional Branch's successful military coup. As the months went by, the suspicion grew that beneath the broad roof of the building hid President Bashar Assads secret flagship project: a nuclear reactor produced in North Korea, intended to provide the younger Assad with the achievement that had eluded his father, Hafez Assad, on the battlefield and between wars and to lead toward a point of strategic balance that could cancel out Israels clear military and technological advantage. "It is obvious to any specialist that the decision to carry out an air strike on Syria had been taken in Washington long before the events in Khan Sheikhoun, which only served as a formal pretext," he said, explaining that a "wide range of reconnaissance and planning measures" would have been necessary. However, you must avoid aerial dogfights with enemy planes. I see on the thermal system I have on the plane and also outside the bombs are hitting the structure. The leading members of the military committee throughout the planning process and in the immediate aftermath of taking power were Muhammad Umran, Salah Jadid and Hafez al-Assad, who belonged to the minority Alawite community. Secondly, it caused huge embarrassment vis--vis Turkey, which at the time was a country friendly to Israel, even though Recep Tayyip Erdogan was already serving as prime minister. A cousin doing military service said he had gone to check on his friends at the facility and seen "total devastation", he added. Gates was pretty much in shock. The prime ministers two close advisers, Yoram Turbovich and Shalom Turgeman, flew to Washington to brief top administration people. WebShallal is a village in Syria. Shayrat airbase was the target of the US' first deliberate direct attack on Syrian forces since the start of the war six years ago. The technology experts at MI located the plans of the British original. This is the story of a single night more than a decade ago, and a daring, hair-raising operation executed by the Israeli air force, army and intelligence If you dont do it, we will, he said. We said to Barak: For every baby who is born in the next 200 years along the Euphrates with a deformity or a genetic defect, they will blame us straightaway. In a meeting on August 1, Barak forbade head of the IDF Planning Directorate Ido Nechushtan (who two years later would replace Shkedi as commander of the air force) to screen a presentation that reviewed the strategic picture and recommended a swift attack. In the week the prime minister went to Washington, a person who did not share Bushs enthusiasm for Olmert returned to the core of decision-makers in Israel: Ehud Barak. Trump: "Assad choked out the lives of helpless men, women and children". He was waiting for us outside the plane as we landed, with hugs. [14] The UAR would prove to be Egypt-dominated, and the Ba'ath Party was forced to dissolve itself, but in 1961 the UAR collapsed because of a military coup in Syria. The majority of Syrians continued to see themselves as Arabs rather than Syrians. [1] The coup was met by indifference in the population at large. The military committee did not look favourably on the civilian leadership led by Michel Aflaq, objecting to his dissolution of the Ba'ath Party during the UAR years. State media initially described the Damascus attack as a roadside bombing. We had to figure out an answer on the spot. The next morning I assembled my people and I said we had experienced two total failures here: Wed had absolutely no idea that such a program even existed and, second, we didnt know that negotiations to dismantle it had been going on for eight months. In a series of cabinet meetings, the hostility between the prime minister and his defense minister became more extreme. Olmert had to take into account a reaction that was liable to include direct hits on civilian and military infrastructures, from northern Israel to the Tel Aviv area. WebCNN . The collapse of the UAR, coupled with mutinies, purges and transfers left the officer corps in complete disarray and open to anti-government agitation. In the underground hangar that our plane returned to, Brig. The Alawites, the Druzes and the Isma'ilis for instance, were religious groups with low social class who began to embrace a radical form of Arab nationalism, e.g. The war is referenced in the famous US antiwar 1965 song "Eve of Destruction" by Barry McGuire with the line "And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin'". The bottom 80 percent received the remainder. Only now, more than a decade later, has the military censor allowed the Israeli media to report the history of this affair and even that, still with restrictions. Before successful strike, Israel's most resounding intel failure. WebThe Syrian Civil War is an ongoing violent conflict in Syria between pro-democratic insurgents and Syrian President Bashar al-Assads long-standing dynastic regime. There was a crazy high all around him, said one of those who were present. There, his deputy had already convened the men of the General Staff. Rather, the question is whether to take a risk in order to prevent greater risks and for that reason there is no alternative to demolishing the reactor., Associates of Olmert describe an angry correspondence with Barak that day, which was conducted via messengers. [13] While the Ba'ath Party was strong, its decision to recruit members from across society led to tribalism and clientelism within the party. We were able to say with certainty: This reactor is intended to produce plutonium and for military purposes only, says Yadlin. By then, Mughniyeh was dead. No one is going to solve them for us. "We are assessing the results of the strike," he added. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was recommending a diplomatic move to thwart the reactor by means of applying pressure on Assad. Its only rarely that a Mossad chief calls and says: I have to see you. The Mossad chief arrives and sits in my office. While Atassi and Hariri held powerful posts, they did not possess enough personal or political power to threaten the NCRC. If a certain weapon or one of the platforms didnt work, there would be something to cover for it, says Amir. Haaretz.com, the online English edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, gives you breaking news, analyses and opinions about Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World. Prime Minister, trust the air force pilots. [10] Of the 150 delegates to the founding congress of the Arab Ba'ath Party in 1947, the majority were either middle-class professionals or intellectuals. Before taking control, the Ba'ath Party gambled that it would be allowed to share power with Gamal Abdel Nasser in the United Arab Republic (UAR). The picture was stolen from the laptop of the director of the Syrian Atomic Energy Commission. The differences of opinion between Olmert and Barak on the matter of the reactor became evident relatively quickly. 2 yr. ago It was about the "Headwater Diversion Plan" adopted by the Arab League to divert two of the three Eight planes would be allocated to the mission four F-15I "Raam" (Thunder) and four F-16I "Sufa" (Storm) carrying 16 tonnes of bombs. And then you get to the target area, climb a bit higher, pulling into execution mode. Then, even if Livni were to replace him as prime minister, Barak would lead the Syria operation and take all the credit. When the F-16I crew reported Arizona, it was 12:25 A.M., Israel time, on Friday, September 6. While they failed to approve it politically, they nevertheless seemed determined to adhere to the technical details of the agreement. The first research breakthrough occurred in November 2006. WebThe United States stands with Burundi in the face of al-Shababs May 3 attack on Burundian soldiers serving at the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) base in Ceel The prime minister dwelled in particular on the meaning of life in Israel under the shadow of a nuclear threat and warned that this was a condition that was liable to cause profound demoralization of Israels populace. The cabinet met for a discussion in Jerusalem in the morning. [1] [2] References ^ "Top Syrian general declares defection on Al Arabiya". Gen. Shelly Gutman, the commander of the Hatzerim base, was waiting. [19], In 1962, the military committee of the Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party spent most of its time planning to take power through a conventional military coup. While no group immediately claimed responsibility for I went to Olmert. After the attack, Ashkenazi sent MI chief Yadlin to the Turkish chief of staff to explain the considerations and circumstances and to reassure him that there had been absolutely no violation of Turkish sovereignty during the operation. WebA bomb attack on a military bus in central Damascus has killed 14 people, Syrian state media say. The silence on the Israeli side, which overall was maintained in accordance with the advance planning, helped reduce the sense of humiliation felt by the Syrian president and gave credence to his range of plausible deniability. Bash Dulki Village, 5 km southeast; The Syrian branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was able to recruit youth from radical peasant movements and thus was able to mobilise large sectors of the population. The new middle class consisted of capitalists and entrepreneurs who opposed the traditional elite the monopolisation of power by the traditional elite led to the radicalisation of the new middle-class. The second option that was ultimately accepted, was sketched by the air force commander on a paper napkin in a brief conversation with the prime minister. Olmert ordered the briefing of the United States concerning his decision to attack, which he was close to arriving at. The military committee decided it had to capture al-Kiswah and Qatana, two military camps, seize control of the 70th Armoured Brigade at al-Kiswah, the Military Academy in the city of Homs and the Damascus radio station. In a one-on-one conversation Olmert tried to resolve their differences of opinion, but according to him Barak continued to try to convince ministers that a premature bombing of the reactor would cost Israel a war. [citation needed]. Anyone who goes running to television risks causing a war.. He looked at me I knew that from that moment on nothing would be the same. Olmert, a few of the ministers and some of the army officers who clearly favored the prime minister, suspected Barak of being driven by hidden personal motives. This state was planned to be a new Arab kingdom, and not just Syrian, and the state espoused Arab nationalism and pan-Islamic policies. [43] They were released exactly a year later and exiled,[44] after lobbying by Nasser and Iraqi President Abdul Salam Arif. [41] Relations with Egypt immediately soured, with Nasser, still popular with the Syrian masses, issuing broadcasts denouncing the Ba'athists as "murderers" and "fascists",[40] and representing the forces of heresy and atheism, a derogatory reference to the party's embrace of strict secularism and the numerous leadership positions held by non-Sunni Muslims. In 1962, Aflaq convened a Ba'ath Party congress and re-established the party. He recently recalled: I looked at the dancing guests and I said to myself: Five hours from now, we could be waking them up with sirens and Scud missiles falling in the center of the country. The hitch, however, did not cast a pall on the success of the operation. Olmert implored Bush and Cheney to attack nevertheless, and argued that such a move would also help deter Iran. [2], Small scale water-related skirmishes had occurred following the 1949 agreements. When he looked outside, he saw larges areas on fire, he said. The Israeli leadership began to converge on the decision bombing of the reactor in the near term and the selection of the more limited action by the air force. Assad conducted the nuclear project in great secrecy, with very few partners to the secret. The Nasserists became allies of the Ba'ath, even while they supported Gamal Abdel Nasser and the reestablishment of the UAR. A Russian defence ministry spokesman said an equipment depot, a training building, a mess, six Syrian Air Force MiG-23s in repairing hangars, as well as a radar station were destroyed. The trick was not to take responsibility and immediately after the bombing to push ahead with a diplomatic effort that would convince other countries of the reliability of the information about what the Syrians were preparing and spur them to act to restrain him., Two different air force strike options were on the table, the difference between them was the size of the aerial force that would be used. The extremist organization has not held territory in Syria since 2019, but it continues to represent a threat with sleeper cells, mostly hiding in Syrias expansive desert. Bombing of Shallal | Historica Wiki | Fandom It was in fact his comments that pushed the IDF to present alternative plans, one of which was ultimately the one that was carried out. [27] Another policy was to staff positions in the armed forces with Alawite relatives and friends close to the members of Military Committee. Attacking a hot reactor was liable to create tremendous environmental pollution. It is a plutogenic reactor, the head of the Mossad told Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. The senior members of the newly established regime were Umran, Jadid and at last, Assad. DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) Two bombs attached to a bus carrying Syrian troops exploded in Damascus during the Since the attack in Syria we have also improved wonderfully in intelligence, in our range of action, in our ability to attack secretly., During the course of the past decade, the two operational air force squadrons have fiercely guarded the secret of the attack. As in Mughniyehs case, Israel was accused of the killing but Jerusalem never officially responded. The airbase was used to store chemical weapons until 2013, when Mr Assad agreed to the destruction of the country's declared chemical arsenal after his forces were accused of firing rockets filled with the nerve agent Sarin at rebel-held suburbs of Damascus, killing hundreds of people. Some two-thirds of peasants were landless. [22] The military committee ordered a group of junior officers to recruit the leading independent Colonel Ziad al-Hariri, the commander of the front facing Israel, to their cause. In the pictures, the inside of the reactor is visible, and in it are fusion cylinders and bars and also some Korean workers. Western intelligence sources told the Washington Post in 2015 that General Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, had been with Mughniyeh in Damascus that night, but somehow he did not die in the blast that killed the Lebanese terrorist. [19] Without the peasantry there could not have been a Ba'athist revolution in Syria. In 1955 the Jordan Valley Unified Water Plan (Johnston Plan) was accepted by the technical committees of both Israel and the Arab League, but the Arab League Council decided not to ratify the plan on 11 October 1955. Any report in the media was liable to awaken the Syrians out of their complacency, alter their defensive preparedness around the reactor and deny the IDF the advantage of surprise. WebAbdulaziz al-Shalal (Redirected from Abdulaziz Al-Shalal) Major General Abdulaziz al-Shalal ( Arabic: ) was chief of the Syrian military police. In 1965, there were three notable border clashes, starting with Syrian shootings of Israeli farmers and army patrols, followed by Israeli tanks and artillery destroying the Arab heavy earth moving machines that were used for the diversion plan. In mid-June, Olmert arrived in the United States for a meeting with Bush. When the material taken from the computer was received in Israel, it was found to include about 35 photographs from inside the mysterious building in the Syrian desert. Even the liberal and democratic-inclined founding leaders were partial to forceful takeover, citing the corrupt electoral process. The revolution was led by an anti-oligarchical alliance of a radicalised lower middle class, strategic members of the officer corps, marginalised minorities and a significant number of peasants who were mobilised for agrarian conflict. Everyone there is jumping up and down in excitement, like in a Hollywood movie. The squadron commander and his deputy take the ones on whom they agree hands down will get the bombs to the target.. Asia. The Nasserist officers were also given notable offices with Muhammad al-Sufi becoming Minister of Defence and Rashid al-Qutayni becoming deputy chief of staff. Israel and the West, he said, would lose the element of surprise. Olmert was a very unpopular prime minister. At the time, the officer corps was split into five different factions; the Damascus faction which supported the Syrian Government, supporters of Akram al-Hawrani, a Nasserist faction, a Ba'athist faction and a group of independents. Hezbollah accused Israel of the hit, but Israel never officially responded. The latter's anti-UAR government had also been overthrown by pro-UAR officers in 1963. The PM hoped that the U.S. would take it upon itself to destroy the reactor. A similar possibility regarding Syria was also considered during those years at the research branch of Military Intelligence. There is a brief moment when you feel excellent, because you have achieved what was required and then you are very vigilant. The trio met just before 6:00 P.M. in a room adjacent to the government meeting room, heard Ashkenazi, Dagan and Yadlin, and afterward remained with just the chief of staff. The plebeian character of the struggle and the radical ideologies spawned radical solutions to the agrarian problem. He is usually a pretty reserved person. Localities. [28], Umran was first given the command of the 5th Brigade in Homs, but was promoted in June to become commander of the 70th Armoured Brigade. In the course of the examination, the researchers identified the Cube. The dilemma Israel faced with respect to the choice between effectiveness and secrecy did not end with the question of the operation itself. On 17 April a new stage-based unity agreement was reached that would include the three states in a federal union with Nasser as President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. As far as is known, it was carried out without the advance permission or involvement of Iran or Syria. The 1963 Syrian coup d'tat, referred to by the Syrian government as the 8 March Revolution (Arabic: ), was the successful seizure of power in Syria by the military committee of the Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. At 1:30, we got back to Israel and landed at the base. AP Photo/Hassan Ammar. To go in with two kinds of planes, with different kinds of armament, because every plane is vulnerable to blocking in a different way, but this way, the second kind could compensate. This is right next door. The prevailing conspiracy theory held that Barak was waiting for the final version of the Winograd commission investigative report on the second Lebanon war, which was to be published within a few months, in the expectation that the commission would obligate Olmert to resign. No longer a secret: How Israel destroyed Syria's nuclear reactor That was no simple matter, a year after Lebanon., An existential threat to the State of Israel arose here and we dealt with it, the way the air force had dealt with the reactor in Iraq in the past, says Col. Amir, the F-15 pilot who took part in the attack. The United States, along with Britain and We do not want a war, Olmert told his ministers. [5] The landownerpeasant alliance was based on class differences, and social antagonism between each other this would lead to the landowner's downfall. The US military has defended as "legitimate" an air strike attack which killed dozens of people in Syria in 2019.
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