Israeli Operation Hijacks Lebanese Plane to Capture Terror Leader Before Yom Kippur War
In August 1973, just weeks before the Yom Kippur War, Israel conducted a covert operation to intercept a Lebanese civilian plane suspected of carrying George Habash, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Intelligence gathered by Israeli Military Intelligence (AMAN) indicated Habash might board a flight from Beirut to Baghdad on August 10. Despite warnings from AMAN chief Eli Zeira about the risks, including uncertainty if Habash was actually on board, potential exposure of intelligence sources, and international backlash for hijacking a civilian plane, Defense Minister Moshe Dayan and Chief of Staff David Elazar approved the mission.
At 6 p.m., two Israeli Mirage jets patrolled Beirut’s airspace awaiting the flight, which was delayed and eventually took off at 9 p.m. on a different aircraft. The jets intercepted and forced the plane to land at Ramat David Airbase in Israel. Israeli special forces stormed the plane, freeing all 74 passengers, but Habash was not among them. As Zeira predicted, the operation sparked global condemnation, including from the International Federation of Air Line Pilots Associations. Israeli intelligence then interrogated Habash to investigate the incident’s intelligence breach.
The operation, known as "Operation Amalek," occurred two months before the Yom Kippur War and is linked to shifts in Israeli military readiness. Zeira’s accurate predictions regarding the timing of the war and the cancellation of the "Blue and White" alert order enhanced his standing as a national intelligence authority. However, shortly after, Zeira misjudged Syria and Egypt’s intentions to attack Israel. Additionally, a later investigation revealed that a leader of another terror organization was on the hijacked flight, but Israeli interrogators failed to identify him.
This episode highlights the tense pre-war atmosphere marked by frequent aerial terrorism attempts and the complex intelligence decisions Israel faced in counterterrorism efforts during that period.
