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1973 Israeli raid in Lebanon

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Operation Spring of Youth
Part of the Operation Wrath of God
DateApril 9–10, 1973
Location
Beirut and Sidon, Lebanon
Belligerents
Sayeret Matkal Palestine Liberation Organization
Strength
25,000 unknown
Casualties and losses
2 KIA 12-100 KIA
3 civilian casualties

The 1973 Israeli raid on Lebanon (code-named Operation Spring of Youth) took place on the night of April 9 and early morning of April 10, 1973 when Israel Defense Forces special forces units attacked several PLO targets in Beirut and Sidon, Lebanon. This raid had a shocking effect on the PLO.

The Israeli Sayeret Matkal forces arrived at the Lebanese beaches in Zodiac boats launched from missile ships offshore. Mossad agents awaited the forces on the beaches with cars rented the previous day, and then drove them to their targets and later back to the beaches for extraction.

During the operation, three PLO leaders, surprised at home, were killed, along with other PLO personnel (reports of actual number killed vary from a dozen to 100). Several Lebanese security people and civilian neighbors were also killed. Two of the attackers were killed by the defending forces.


Main target

The main target was a pair of seven-story buildings in the fashionable neighborhood of Verdun in West Beirut. These buildings were residential housing for both British and Italian families amongst other Arab families. The building housing Muhammad Youssef Al-Najjar (Abu Youssef) had two British families and was next door to a boarding school run by the Catholic Salesian order. The second seven story building was on the opposite side of the road and was residential. This building housed an Italian family amongst other Arab families. There were two targets in this building, Kamal Adwan and Kamal Nasser. The Italian grandmother was killed in this building by the Israeli forces who stormed the wrong apartment at first.

The team attacking the target was mostly based on Sayeret Matkal commandos, led by then unit-commander Ehud Barak. (Barak later became IDF Chief of Staff and subsequently Prime Minister). The attacking team also included Yonatan Netanyahu, who became unit commander two years later and became known for leading the hostage rescue operation in Entebbe in which he died. The team approached the buildings disguised as civilians and couples (Barak was disguised as a brunette). In the building, the team killed three PLO leaders:

  • Muhammad Youssef Al-Najjar (Abu Youssef) - a PLO veteran, previously head of the Lebanese Fatah branches, head of Fatah internal intelligence organization. His latest duties were head of the PLO's political department and one of Yasser Arafat's deputies (third in line of Fatah's leadership). His wife was shot as she ran to shelter her sons.
  • Kamal Adwan - A veteran Fatah leader. Responsible for armed resistance activities against the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza strip.
  • Kamal Nasser - PLO spokesman and member of the PLO Executive Committee.

During the operation, an Italian woman who resided in the building was also killed, as well as two Lebanese policemen.

Secondary targets

A separate nearby target was a multi-story building which housed activists of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The attacking team had 14 commandos, mainly Sayeret Tzanhanim Commando paratroopers led by Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, who later succeeded Barak as IDF Chief of Staff. The attacking team met strong resistance early on, and two of its soldiers were killed. Despite this resistance, the force was able to bomb the building. Lipkin-Shahak was also decorated for bravery for his conduct in this operation.

Other targets were blown up after having been searched for papers and other intelligence materials. These targets were attacked by the Israeli Navy, especially Shayetet 13 commandos:

  • The headquarters of the Fatah's Gaza sector and a workshop which assembled rockets and mines near the Beirut International Airport.
  • Another workshop in the north-eastern part of Beirut assembling rockets and mines.
  • PLO vehicle garage north of Sidon.

See also

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