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Article Excerpt
"Swifter than eagles, stronger than lions" is how the author of the Book of Samuel describes two heroes of ancient Israel, King Saul and his son Jonathan. These words apply equally well, however, to some heroes of modern Israel: the men and women of the Israel Air and Space Force (IASF). From its birth during the Jewish state's 1948 War of Independence to the present day, the IASF has accumulated a record of accomplishment unequaled in the annals of air warfare. Operation Focus, the virtually complete destruction of Arab air forces at the start of the 1967 Six-Day War, and Operation Insect, the similarly complete destruction of the Syrian air defense network in the Bekaa at the outset of the 1982 Lebanon War, are famous the world over, as are Operation Jonathan, the bold anti-terrorist strike to rescue Israeli hostages at Entebbe, and Operation Opera, the spectacular attack on the Osirak nuclear reactor near Baghdad.
One can read all of this illustrious history in the many books and articles written about the IASF over the years, but the printed page is no substitute for an actual visit to its bases, where one can touch its aircraft and meet its personnel.
Together with about fifty interested (and interesting) people, I recently availed myself of such an opportunity as a guest of the Israel Air Force Center (IAFC). We were escorted on eye-opening excursions to three IASF bases--Ramat David in the north of the country, Tel Nof in the center, and Hatzerim in the south--and we were treated to a fascinating tour of the IAFC's home in Herzliya.
Our visit began with a post-Shabbat dinner attended by General Asaf Agmon (Res.) and Major N, (1) at which we heard the heartwarming story of Ethiopian Jewry's rescue and watched some still classified footage of the event. The general, who is currently the head of the Fisher Brothers Institute, a research arm of the IAFC, commanded the airborne component of Operation Solomon, in which approximately 14,000 Jews were flown to Israel from Ethiopia in a single day. He also played a central role in the more...
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