“The friction between the two . . . he alone was feeling now.” Raz.
“On Wednesday, June 3 . . . dinner that night.” McKinnon, Ivry, Yaffe.
“The question of whether . . . And that was that.” Raz; Yaffe and his wife, Michal; Katz; Yadlin.
“The Friday before the mission . . . ‘I hope I collect.’” Yadlin, Yaffe, Spector, Shafir, McKinnon.
“Sunlight from the first . . . ‘God be with you.’” Raz, Spector, Ivry, McKinnon, Sella, Yadlin, Nachumi, Yaffe. Eitan’s speech was first reprinted by McKinnon in 1986.
“The pilots suited up . . . he could have drawn.” Spector, Katz, Raz, Nachumi, Yaffe, Falk.
SIXTY SECONDS OVER BAGHDAD
“The brown banks of . . . in their headsets: ‘Grazen.’ ” Raz, Ivry, Yadlin, Katz, Nachumi, Spector, Shafir. The checkpoint codes were given to me by Katz and Ivry.
“Miles behind . . . lights from a small town.” Raz, Spector, Yadlin, Katz, McKinnon.
“Khidhir Hamza stood outside . . . all Israel, it seemed, waited.” Hamza, Yadlin, Nachumi, Yaffe.
“As Raz began to nose . . . any pursuing MiGs.” Raz, Yadlin.
“One of the French electricians . . . the man exclaimed, astonished.” Hamza, McKinnon, Katz, Yaffe, Nachumi, Shafir. The descriptions of the bombing runs and the targeting are based in part on voice tapes from the pilots’ helmet microphones and videotape from the F-16 nose cameras, which I was able to view. The quality of the tapes is quite good. Spector himself told me about blacking out, though he wasn’t sure what had happened. He said he just missed. Nachumi was convinced Spector experienced blackout, a not-uncommon occurrence during high-G maneuvers.
CHECK SIX
“Khidhir Hamza stood frozen . . . Everyone suddenly felt thirsty.” Hamza, Raz, Ivry, Nakdimon, Michal Yaffe, McKinnon, Yaffe, Katz.
“Five hundred and eighty miles . . . across the installation.” Hamza; Time, June 15, 1981.
“As darkness fell at Etzion . . . ever celebrate that holiday again.” Falk, Nachumi, Katz, Raz, Yadlin, Yaffe, Shafir, Ivry.
“Richard V. Allen . . . ‘terrific piece of bombing!’” President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime, Lou Cannon (Touchstone/Simon & Schuster: New York, 1991); Hersh; interview with Caspar Weinberger; interview with Richard Perle.
“Monday morning, July 8 . . . ‘which is near Baghdad. . . .’” Katz, Raz, McKinnon.
“That Sunday, the cavernous . . . deliver within the month.” Thomas.
EPILOGUE: BLOWBACK
“Monday morning, June 8 . . . ‘start from scratch.’” Hamza, Karsh.
“The storm of indignation . . . was quietly resumed.” McKinnon, Perlmutter, Hersh; IDF website; New York Times, editorial page, June 9, 1981; Time, cover story, June 15, 1981; Cannon, Ivry.
“Perhaps in somewhat . . . whom Hofi was referring to.” The anecdote about Begin accidentally referring to Dimona comes from Hersh.
“The Arab nations . . . chemical weapons programs.” Thomas, Hamza.
“On June 7, 2001 . . . signed: ‘Dick Cheney.’ ” Falk, Katz, Raz, Nachumi, Ivry.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First things first: I need to thank Don and Kathy Hutchison, without whose belief, advice, and support—literally—from the earliest days, this book would not exist. As for the writing itself, I owe much to the perspicaciousness and craftsmanship of my agent, David Halpern, of The Robbins Office, and of my editor at Broadway Books, Charles Conrad. David not only did all the wonderful things agents do—like getting me paid—but also functioned as a first editor, advising me on style, pace, and organization. Charlie proved to be a superior editor, not only in helping me frame my tale but also by suggesting wonderfully imaginative ways to make a sometimes complex military story eminently readable. The “countdown” sequences that precede each chapter were Charlie’s genius.
I would especially like to thank Tal Yanai for his always-dependable research, Hebrew translations, and deep knowledge of Israeli history and politics. Without Tal and his wife, Dr. Jamie Miles, I would have had a difficult task absorbing the complexities of Israeli culture and the national character. Likewise, thanks to Hossan Hamalawy, an Egyptian stringer for the Los Angeles Times; Hossan found and interviewed an Egyptian student who’d befriended and admired Hussein while he was in exile in Cairo.
Like most creative enterprises, a book is also a team effort, and I would never have succeeded without the invaluable aid of Mark Regev, the press counselor at the Israeli embassy in Washington, D.C., who smoothed the bureaucratic waters on both sides of the Atlantic; editorial assistant Alison Presley, who made everything so much easier; Bob Gaston, for astute military and legal insights; Geoff Miller, for consistently good counsel and taste; famed Time photographer Ben Martin, who shot my jacket portrait; Major Janske of the California Air National Guard, 144th Fighter Wing, for an exhilarating up-close look at the F-16 Fighting Falcon; my wife, Ann, and the girls, Wren and Kelsey, for allowing me to commandeer the dining room table for twelve months; and, finally, the guys at The Farm.
INDEX
*The following items may be used as a guide to search for information in this eBook.
A
Abul-Khail, Abdullah
Admoni, Nahum
aircraft. See also F-15 aircraft; F-16 aircraft
Al Auja
Allen, Richard V.
al-Tuwaitha. See Nuclear Research Center of Atomic Energy
AMAN
American Enterprise Institute
Arab Legion
Arab Rejectionist Front
Arab states, reactions to air strike
Arafat, Yasser
Arbel, David
Argentina, reaction to Osirak air strike
atomic bomb. See nuclear weapons
Atomic Energy (AE), Iraq; Hamza report to. See also Nuclear Research Center of Atomic Energy
Attia, Ali
Aziz, Tariq
B
Babylonian captivity
Baghdad: in 1950s; Palestinian refugees in (1960s)
Bahrain, reaction to air strike
Bahr al Milh Lake
Baker, James A.
Bakr, Ahmed Hassan al-
Ba’th Party; Qassem assassination attempt; Qassem ouster
Ba’th Revolutionary Command Council (RCC)
Begin, Menachem; during mission; and foreign reactions to air strike; media apprisal of air strike; mission cancellations; mission consideration and approvals; notifies U.S. of air strike; political aftermath
Ben-Amitay, Udi
Ben-Gurion, David
Ben-Nun, Avihu
Bergmann, Ernst
Black September
bombs, for Osirak air strike
Brazil, nuclear negotiations with Iraq
Britain: KH-11 intelligence access; reaction to air strike; in Suez War; view of Iraqi reactor purchase
Brown Boveri
Bush, George H. W.
C
Cairo, Saddam Hussein in
Camp David Accords
Camp David summit
Carter, Jimmy
Casey, William J.
Chalabi, Ahman
Chaussepied, Damen
Cheney, Richard
Cheysson, Claude
Chirac, Jacques
Clinton, Bill
Columbia space shuttle explosion
Committee to Safeguard the Islamic Revolution
Costello, James
D
De Gaulle, Charles
Dimona reactor; Begin’s press conference revelation
Donovan, Jack (Ran S.)
E
Egypt: reaction to air strike; in Suez War; U.S. arms sales to; in Yom Kippur War
Eichmann, Adolf
Eisenhower, Dwight D.
Eitan, Rafael “Raful”; adds Spector to team; after mission completion; during mission; final briefing of pilots; and final mission approval; final mission design; and Israeli cabinet consideration of r
aid; and May 10 mission cancellation; on eve of mission
Eitan, Yoram
Entebbe airport raid
Etzion Air Force Base
F
F-15 aircraft; mission support squadron
F-16 aircraft; fuel range problems; ordnance training; U.S. sale to Israel
Faisal II (King of Iraq)
Falk, Rani; mission preparation; Spector and; at 2001 reunion
France: arms sales to Iraq; deaths of Iraqi scientists in; evacuation of NRC technicians; French air strike casualty; Israeli diplomatic pressure on; La Seyne-sur-Mer sabotage; 1981 elections; nuclear deal with Iraq; nuclear deal with Israel; oil dependence; reaction to air strike; Saddam Hussein’s 1975 visit to; in Suez War
G
Gemayel, Bashir
General Dynamics Corporation
Ghafour, Humam al-
Ghariri, Abdul-Whahab al-
Gil, Yehuda
Giraud, André
Giscard d’Estaing, Valéry
Graham, Lindsey
Greece, reaction to Osirak air strike
Groupe des Ecologistes Français
Gulf War
Gur, Mordechai
Gur, Motta
H
H-3 airfield
Habib, Philip
Haig, Alexander
Halim, Butrus Eben
Halim, Samira
Halprin, Emmanuel
Hamza, Khidhir; defection to U.S.; during and after air strike; and French nuclear deal; knowledge of weapons program; and La Seyne-sur-Mer sabotage; and Meshad; report on NRC operations
Hashemites
Hashimi, Abdul-Razzaq al-
Hassan, Ibrahim
Hassan, Sabha Talfah
Hazzaa, Omar al-
Hersh, Seymour
Hill Air Force Base F-16 training school
Hofi, Yitzhak; and acquisition of al-Tuwaitha plans; and Israeli cabinet consideration of raid; and La Seyne-sur-Mer sabotage; opposition to mission; post-strike press conference and ouster; and SNIA Technit bombings
Hou, Shou
Hussein (King of Jordan)
Hussein, Saddam: childhood; distrust of Iraqi Shi’ites; early adulthood; and French nuclear deal; Kuwait invasion; Night of the Long Knives; in 1970s; 1979 visit to Osirak; 1968 return to Iraq; nuclear weapons aspirations; paranoia and eccentricities; pilots’ fear of; post-strike visit to NRC; Qassem assassination attempt; reaction to Osirak air strike; and Soviet nuclear deal; wealth
Hussein, Udai
hydrogen bomb
I
IAF. See Israeli Air Force
IDF. See Israel Defense Force
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Iran: Iran-Iraq war; Shah Pahlavi’s overthrow; Tehran hostage rescue mission
Iraq: ethnic divisions; Iran-Iraq war; Iraq War (2003); Kuwait invasion and Gulf War; relations with U.S.; U.S. arms sales to
Iraqi army
Iraqi nuclear weapons development: nuclear alliance with France; nuclear deal with Soviet Union; U.N. weapons inspections. See also Nuclear Research Center of Atomic Energy; Osirak reactor
Isis reactor
Israel: alliance with Lebanese Phalangists; June 1981 elections; KH-11 intelligence access; relations with U.S.
Israel Defense Forces (IDF)
Israeli Air Force (IAF)
Israeli Bomb, The (Jabir)
Israeli cabinet: mission consideration and approvals; monitoring of mission
Israeli conflicts: Lebanon; Six-Day War; Suez War; War for Independence; Yom Kippur War
Israeli nuclear weapons development; nuclear alliance with France; post-strike criticisms of. See also Dimona reactor
Israeli parliament; reaction to air strike
Italy: evacuation of NRC technicians; reaction to air strike; SNIA Technit nuclear deal and bombings
Ivry, David; after mission completion; as ambassador to U.S.; during mission; at final briefing; final mission approval; final mission design; foreign reactions to air strike; Iranian air strike; Israeli cabinet consideration of mission; May 10 mission cancellation; mission planning; mission preparation; Mossad acquisition of al-Tuwaitha plans; on eve of mission; pilot selection; Spector’s addition; U.S. F-16 purchase
Ivry, Ofera
J
Jabir, Fouad
Jaffar, Jaffar Dhia
Japan, reaction to Osirak air strike
Jerusalem, Nebuchadnezzar’s destruction of
Jordan: mission flight over; reaction to air strike; U.S. arms sales to. See also Six-Day War
K
Kamel, Hussein
Katz, Hagai; after mission completion; during mission; final preparations and takeoff; mission preparation; on mission day; Spector and; at 2001 reunion; at USAF training school
Katz, Ora
Kenya, reaction to air strike
KH-11 reconnaissance satellite
Khomeini, Ayatollah Ruhollah
Kirkpatrick, Jeanne
Kivity, Joseph
Knesset
Kurds
Kuwait: Iraqi invasion and Gulf War; reaction to air strike
L
Lebanon Civil War
Lewis, Samuel
Libya, reaction to air strike
M
Magalle, Marie-Claude
Mallah, Moyesser al-
Mascola, Jean François
Meir, Golda
Meshad, Yahia al-
Michaels, Gary
Mitterrand, François
Morocco, reaction to air strike
Mossad; Halim recruitment; Hofi ouster; Meshad recruitment and murder; sabotage at La Seyne-sur-Mer; satellite intelligence gathering; SNIA Technit bombings; and U.S. CIA; view of Osirak air strike
Mukhabarat
N
Nachumi, Amir; after mission completion; during mission; at final briefing; final preparations and takeoff; friction with Raz; and May 10 cancellation,; mission preparation; Spector and; at 2001 reunion
Najaf
Nasser, Gamal
Nebuchadnezzar
Night of the Long Knives
NRC. See Nuclear Research Center of Atomic Energy; U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Nuclear Materials & Equipment Corporation (NUMEC)
Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty
nuclear reactors: basic physics of. See also Dimona reactor; Isis reactor; Osirak reactor
Nuclear Research Center of Atomic Energy (al-Tuwaitha, Iraq); after Israeli air strike; after La Seyne-sur-Mer sabotage; deaths of NRC scientists abroad; defenses; evacuation of foreign technicians; Gulf War bombing; Iranian air strike on; Iraqi media report on; Israeli intelligence gathering; layout; Mossad’s recruitment and murder of Meshad; 1979 jailing of scientists; Saddam Hussein’s charge to develop bomb; Saddam Hussein’s 1979 visit to; Soviet reactor deal. See also Osirak reactor
nuclear weapons, basic physics of
nuclear weapons development. See Iraqi nuclear weapons development; Israeli nuclear weapons development
NUMEC (Nuclear Materials & Equipment Corporation)
O
O’Brien, John
Office of Research and Development
OPEC oil embargo
Operation Babylon (Operation Hatakh Moshem). See Osirak air strike
Ophir (girlfriend of Ilan Ramon)
Osirak air strike: aircraft for; aircraft fuel range; bombing; casualties; CSAR team; execution of; F-15 support squadron; final mission design; final preparations and takeoff; flight plan; foreign reaction to; Iran-Iraq war and; Iraqi defense; Israeli cabinet consideration and approval; Israeli cabinet monitoring of; Israeli intelligence gathering; Israeli parliament reaction to; leaking of plans for; May 10 cancellation; media announcement of; navigation problems; observations from the ground; ordnance for; outward flight; pilot selection; pilot training; planning of; political aftermath; pre-mission briefing; reaction at NRC; return flight; rumors about; timing of; videorecording of
Osirak reactor; acqui
sition of; effect of Israeli airstrike; Iranian air strike; Mossad sabotage of parts shipment; reprocessing unit purchase. See also Nuclear Research Center of Atomic Energy
Ostrovsky, Victor
P
Pahlavi, Mohammed Reza
Pakistan, nuclear weapons program
Palestine Liberation Organization. See PLO
Palestinian refugees: in 1960s Baghdad; Lebanese refugee camp massacres
Peres, Shimon
Perle, Richard
pilots: after mission completion; disclosure of target to; final briefing; final preparations and takeoff; friction among; June 2001 reunion; mission disclosure to wives; mission execution; mission preparation; on eve of mission; selection; Spector’s addition; training casualties; U.S. training. See also individual pilots by name
planes. See aircraft; F-15 aircraft; F-16 aircraft
PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization); reaction to air strike
plutonium production; Dimona reactor; Osirak reactor
Porath, Uri
Q
Qaddafi, Muammar
Qanbar, Entifadh
Qassem, Abdul Karim
R
Rabin, Yitzhak
Ramat David Air Force Base
Ramon, Ilan; after mission completion; during mission; knowledge of target
Ran S. (Jack Donovan)
Rashid, Salman
Rassoul, Abdul-Rahman Abdul
Raz, Zeev; after mission completion; aircraft switch; at cabinet meeting; disclosure of target to pilots; during final approach and bombing; during outward flight; during return flight; at final briefing; final preparations and takeoff; friction with Nachumi; mission preparation; navigation problem during mission; Spector and; at USAF training school
RCC (Ba’th Revolutionary Command Council)
Reagan, Ronald
Rimbaud, Jacques
S
Sadat, Anwar
Saddam Hussein. See Hussein, Saddam
Saguy, Yehoshua; after mission completion; at final briefing; on eve of mission
Said, Nuri al-
Saltovitz, Joseph
Saudi Arabia: mission flight over; U.S. arms sales to
Sella, Aviem; during mission
September 11 attacks
Shafir, Israel “Relik”; after mission completion; during mission; mission preparation; on mission day; at USAF training school
Shahristani, Hussein al-
Shamir, Yitzhak