In Operation Peace for the Galilee
(1982)
In the spring of 1982, Palestinian
terrorists entrenched themselves in Southern Lebanon, creating an
informal state-within-a-state. From there they dispatched terrorists
on murderous missions abroad and fired Katyusha rockets and artillery
at civilian targets in Israel's northern Galilee region. On June 3,
1982, Israeli Ambassador Shlomo Argov was gunned down and critically
wounded near his London home. The next day Israeli jets bombed P.L.O. ammunition depots and training bases. This triggered a massive P.L.O.
bombardment against Israel's northern settlements, causing extensive
damage and loss of life.
On June 6, the IDF launched Operation Peace
for the Galilee with the purpose of removing the threat to Israel's
northern settlements. Israeli units advanced along three major north-south
routes, destroying P.L.O. bases and their terrorist infrastructure along
the way.
IAF fighters and attack helicopters bombed terrorist strongholds, clearing
the way for the ground forces. Transport helicopters provided around-the-clock
tactical, logistic support. They airlifted fuel and ammunition to front-line
troops when the three narrow roads which wind their way north into Lebanon became clogged. They also played a life-saving role by rapidly evacuating
wounded to Israeli hospitals.
But the most spectacular achievement of the war was the
destruction of the Syrian surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites in
the Bekaa Valley. The IAF was equally impressive in air-to-air
combat, downing about 90 Syrian Migs without loss.
Future historians will point to many important features of the
air war over Lebanon. First and foremost, the IAF re-affirmed its
undisputed aerial superiority. This was the first major conflict
in which F-15's and F-16's could demonstrate their awesome
prowess. It was also the first time that the IAF employed the
Cobra and Defender attack helicopters on a wide scale. One of the
war's greatest successes was achieved by its smallest
participant: the locally produced mini-RPV (remotely piloted
vehicle).
These tiny, propeller-driven craft beamed down real-time
intelligence to air force and battlefield commanders, giving them
a decisive edge in the rapidly unfolding combat arena. Another
source of pride for the Israel Aircraft Industry (IAI) was the
superb performance of the Kfir fighter bomber. Last
but not least, honorable mention will be saved for the F-4
Phantom, which pounded home a reminder that it will be around for
quite some time.
The Destruction of the Syrian
Surface-to-Air Missiles (June 9, 1982)
In the spring of 1981, Israeli reconnaissance photography
revealed a dangerous new development. Syria had begun to move
Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) batteries into the neutral territory
of Lebanon. During the course of the next year, Syria built up an
overlapping network of SAMs, which included Soviet SA-2, SA-3 and
mobile SA-6 missiles in the Bekaa Valley and along the Zabadani
mountain range above it. The density of SAM site locations was
unmatched anywhere in the world—including the U.S.S.R. itself!
Because the SAMs were so effective in 1973, many experts had
come to believe that “the missile had clipped the aircraft's
wings.” Few realized the intensity with which the IAF had
prepared to settle the score with its ground-based adversary.
On the fourth day of the war, in a coordinated attack
utilizing decoys, anti-radiation missiles and several locally
developed systems, the IAF methodically destroyed every one of
the threatening SAM batteries. It was almost as if fighter pilots
were exacting a kind of personal revenge for the harsh treatment
they had received years earlier, during the 1973 Yom Kippur War.
During the attack, the Syrians sent up dozens of interceptors.
Twenty-two Mig-21's and Mig-23's were downed in mass dogfights.
Stripped of its surface-to-air defense, Syria continued to flood
the Bekaa Valley with fighters over the next few days. Israeli
F-15's and F-16's roamed the area without fear of SAMs and raised
the total number of aerial victories to about 90. Incredibly, not
a single Israeli fighter was lost during the risky attack
against the SAMs or in the ensuing dogfights. The IAF once again
proved that it was master of the skies.
Sources: Israel Defense Forces |