Posts
Few
days back I thought that I should start writing the blog post with Ancient
Indian history and then go along with the same theme. Then one day I came
across the news stating if all diplomatic efforts are kaput, Israel may launch
pre-emptive attack on Iran’s nuclear reactor. After reading this news I
recalled the 7th June, 1981 incidence of Israel’s similar pre-emptive attack on
nuclear reactor of Iraq at Osirak, codenamed ‘Operation Opera’ or ‘Operation
Babylon’, which was successful and made attempts of Saddam Hussein
(totalitarian of Iraq at that time) to develop weapons of mass destruction
futile.In 2007, Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out similar operation at Syrian nuclear
reactor at Deir ez-Zor region, codenamed ‘Operation Orchard’. All these operations were possible only because of intelligence
provided by Mossad, the national
intelligence agency of Israel.
Cognizance
about current international events are essential for every nation to develop
foreign policies and diplomacy. Also Israel, who is rushing headlong in future with advances in technology, can be an ally to India in true sense to fight terror, not like illusioned US who purport to help India against terror and in reality pump billion dollars as counter-insurgency aid and coalition support fund in Pakistan government's treasury, which are ultimately used to support terror activities. So Instead of beginning with history I thought it’s
better to start with current affairs first.
So this post is about brief history and important operations of Mossad, a topmost intelligence agency in
the world.
Mossad -
 |
| Mossad emblem |
- Full name- Mossad Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations
- Established- 13th Dec 1949
- Headquarter- Tel Aviv, Israel
- Motto- "Where no counsel is, the people fall, but in the multitude of counselors there is safety."
- Emblem- Menorah from the temple
 |
| Ramifications of Israeli Intelligence |
The Mossad
is Israel's secret service organization that collects civilian and military
information and is involved in clandestine defense operations outside the
country. Mossad was established just year after the
birth of the Israel (1948) by its first premier, David Ben Gurion. Recognizing
the importance of Intel gathering in the process of national security, David
Ben Gurion soon inflated the budget of Mossad tenfold. Throughout the years the
Mossad was involved in covert operations, intelligence gathering, rescuing of
‘Jewish Diaspora’ under threat and assassinations of heads and masterminds of
terror organizations.
Mossad also provided intel to Israel for Arab-Israeli conflicts in Six day war(1967, where Israel had to face enemies on three different fronts) and Yom kippur war(1973) where Israel achieved staggering victories. Mossad, who excelled in external security and
intelligence, carried out many operations which are today central themes of
many books and movies. Many operations of Mossad carried out with collaboration
of IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) boggled even CIA, an American Intelligence
Agency.
Some of the famous/notable operations of the Mossad –
1) Smuggling of Nikita Khrushchev speech (1956)
Mossad successfully smuggled out copy
of speech condemning Joseph Stalin delivered by then USSR premier Nikita
Khrushchev.
2) Operation Garibaldi (1960)-
Identification and kidnapping of Nazi fugitive and man who contributed in devising 'Final Solution to the Jewish Question' during Nazi Germany regime, Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He was brought Israel to face trial and subsequently hanged in 1962. This was the only civil execution in Israel. Incidence is central theme of 2007 movie, Eichmann.
3) Operation Wrath Of God & Operation Spring of Youth (1972,1973)-
Began as a retaliation to '1972 Munich Olympic Massacre' wherein Palestinian terrorist group 'Black September' slain 13 Israeli athletes. Operation started in an autumn of 1972 at the order of then Israel PM, Golda Meir and supposed to have continued almost 20 years during which all the responsible terrorists were slain by Mossad.
These operations are depicted in 2005 Steven Spielberg movie 'Munich'.
4) Operation Entebbe (1976)-
Air France flight with 248 passengers was hijacked by members of Palestinian terror group and German revolutionary cells. All non-Jewish passengers were released and only Jewish passengers were held hostages. Terrorists demanded release of terrorists from Israels. In accordance with usual 'no capitulation to terrorists' philosophy, Israeli defense forces planned a tactical mission, Operation Thunderbolt, wherein they rescued all but three hostages. I'll write about tactics of Operation Entebbe and Operation Opera in later posts.
Similar mishap happened with India during Kandahar hijacking of IC 814 flight in 1999. India (as usual) capitulated and released three Islamic militants. One of them was Masood Azhar who was mastermind of an attack on Indian parliament in 2001 killing 7 people (Compare the figures with Israeli rescue mission above with only 3 civilian casualties) and other was Ahmed omar Saeed Shaikh who abducted and slain Daniel Pearl.
5) Operation Opera (1981)-
One of the most difficult operations carried out by Israel (IAF) that stun whole world, even CIA! Eight IAF F-16A planes travelled 1600+ kilometers from military base in Israel to Osirak (Iraq) and destroyed what could have been evil destroying force in middle east. Those planes destroyed nuclear plant on 7th June 1981.
In a similar fashion, Israel launched one more pre-emptive attack on Syrian nuclear plant in 2007, codenamed 'Operation Orchard'.
Why India and Israel can be strong allies-
- India and Israel face similar sets of problems with respect to terrorism
- Israel is technologically advanced nation who have always offered India help in fields of Science, Agriculture, Technology etc.
- Israeli defense which is expert in rescue missions and Intel gathering offered help to India during terror attack on Mumbai on 26th Nov 2008. (India declined help offer fearing International embarrassment)
- Israel has already helped bloom hi-tech agriculture in the states of Maharashtra, Haryana and now Gujarat.