Operation Wrath of God
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Operation Wrath of God also called Operation Bayonet, was a covert operation directed by Israel and the Mossad to assassinate the terrorists who directly or indirectly perpetrated the 1972 Munich Massacre. Authorized to begin by Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in the fall of 1972, it may have continued for more than 20 years.Veterans of the Mossad speaking anonymously have said that there was no reason to suspend the campaign until 1993, when the Oslo Accords were signed. [link] Because of the secretive nature of the operation, some details are unverifiable beyond a single source. This operation was also represented in films: HBO's Sword of Gideon, and Steven Spielberg's Munich.
Background and planning
The massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September moved Israel to consider more drastic measures to deter future terrorism. After the three surviving terrorists of the massacre were released just months later by Germany in compliance with a Lufthansa hijacking, Golda Meir created Committee X, a small group of officials tasked with formulating an Israeli response, with herself and Defense Minister Moshe Dayan at the head. She also appointed General Aharon Yariv as her Advisor on Counterterrorism; he, along with Mossad Director Zvi Zamir, would take the principal role in directing the operation. The Committee came to the conclusion that to deter future terrorist incidents against Israel, they needed to assassinate those who had supported or carried out the Munich massacre, and in a dramatic fashion. Their first task for Israeli intelligence was to draw up an assassination list of all those involved. This was accomplished with the aid of PLO operatives working for the Mossad and with information provided by friendly European intelligence agencies.Morris, 381. While the contents of the entire list are unknown, reports put the final number of targets at 20-35: a mix of Black September and PLO elements.Reeve states that intelligence sources put the real number at 20 (Reeve, 162), while Ostrovsky puts it at 35 (Ostrovsky, 179). Once this was complete, the Mossad was charged with locating the individuals and killing them.Organization
Several descriptions have emerged as to the groups formed by Mossad who carried out the assassination campaign. It is possible that different groups were formed for different objectives, and existed at different or overlapping periods of time, which may account for the variety of reports. The only certain thing known are the assassinations that actually took place, all of the rest is based on limited sources. It is known that Mossad agent Michael Harari led the creation and direction of the teams, although some may not have always been under government responsibility. Simon Reeve explains that the Mossad team consisted of...fifteen people divided into five squads: 'Aleph," two trained killers; "Bet," two guards who would shadow the Alephs; "Heth," two agents who would establish cover for the rest of the team by renting hotel rooms, apartments, cars, and so on; "Ayin," comprising between six and eight agents who formed the backbone of the operation, shadowing targets and establishing an escape route for the Aleph and Bet squads; and "Qoph," two agents specializing in communications. Reeve, 162.This is similar to former Mossad agent Victor Ostrovsky's description of the Mossad's own assassination teams, the kidon. In fact, Ostrovsky claims in his book that it was kidon units that committed the assassinations.Ostrovsky, 179.
In the aftermath of the Lillehammer affair, six members of the Mossad assassination team were caught by Norwegian authorities. Harari escaped to Israel, and it is possible that others were able to evade capture with him. An article in Time Magazine immediately after the killing put the number at 15."[Fatal Error]", Time Magazine, Aug. 6, 1973. Accessed June 23, 2006.
According to Yuval Aviv, whose claims to have taken part in the operation in the book Vengeance have not been verified, the Mossad set up a five man unit of trained intelligence personnel in Europe. Aviv also says that the team operated outside of direct government control, and its only communications were with Harari.["Countering Terrorism: The Israeli Response To The 1972 Munich Olympic Massacre And The Development Of Independence Covert Action Teams"], M.A. thesis by Alexander B. Calahan at Marine Corps Command and Staff College, 1995.
Operations
1972
The first assassination occurred on October 16, 1972, when Palestinian Abdel Wael Zwaiter was shot 12 times in his apartment building in Rome. Two Israeli agents had been waiting for him to return from dinner, and after the shooting, were spirited away to a safe house. At the time Zwaiter was the PLO representative in Italy, and while Israel privately claimed he was a member of Black September and was involved in a failed plot against an El Al airliner, members of the PLO have argued that he was in no way connected. Abu Iyad, deputy-chief of the PLO, has stated that Zwaiter was "energetically" against terrorism.Nasr, Kameel B. Arab and Israeli Terrorism: The Causes and Effects of Political Violence, 1936-1993. McFarland & Company, 1996. ISBN 0786402806 p. 68The second target of the Mossad was Dr. Mahmoud Hamshari, who was the PLO representative in France. Using an agent posing as a journalist, the Mossad lured him from his apartment in Paris to allow a demolition team to enter and install a bomb underneath a desk telephone. On December 8, 1972, the "journalist" called Hamshari, and once it was confirmed that he had picked up the phone, a detonation signal was sent through the telephone to detonate the bomb. Hamshari was not immediately killed by the blast, but died from the injuries he sustained within a month. Israel chose him as a target because it was believed that he was the leader of Black September in France.Reeve, 165.
1973
On the night of January 24, 1973, Hussein Al Bashir (Hussein Abad Al Chir), the Fatah representative in Cyprus, shut the lights in his Olympic Hotel room in Nicosia. Moments later, a bomb planted under his bed by the Mossad was remotely detonated, killing him and destroying the room. Israel believed him to be the head of Black September in Cyprus, although another reason for his assassination may have been for his close ties with the KGB.Reeve, 168.The assassinations returned to Paris on April 6, 1973, when Dr. Basil Al-Kubaissi, a law professor at the American University of Beirut suspected of providing arms logistics for Black September as well as being involved in other Palestinian plots,Reeve, 169. was gunned down while returning home from dinner. Like previous assassinations, he was shot around twelve times by two Israeli agents.
Several of the targets on the Mossad's list lived in heavily guarded houses in Lebanon that were beyond the reach of previous assassination methods. To kill them, Operation Spring of Youth was launched as a sub-operation of the larger Wrath of God campaign. During the night of April 9, 1973, Sayeret Matkal commandos and other Israeli support teams lauched multiple raids into Beirut and Sidon. There, they succeeded in killing a number of high level PLO and Black September targets, including Muhammad Youssef Al-Najjar (Abu Youssef), the Black September Operations Officer and PLO official, Kamal Adwan, an Operations and Intelligence Officer of Black September and Fatah veteran, and Kamal Nasser, PLO spokesman.
Three assassinations quickly followed the Lebanon operation. Zaiad Muchasi, the replacement for Hussein Al Bashir in Cyprus, was blown up in his Athens hotel room on April 11. Two minor Black September terrorists, Abdel Hamid Shibi and Abdel Hadi Nakaa were injured in their car in Rome.Reeve, 184.
Israel also began to follow Mohammad Boudia, an Algerian-born director of operations for Black September in France known for his disguises and womanizing. On June 28, 1973, Boudia was killed in Paris by a "pressure activated 'land mine', packed with heavy nuts and bolts" and placed by the Mossad under his car seat.Reeve, 185.
Ali Hassan Salameh
The Mossad continued to search for Ali Hassan Salameh, nicknamed the Red Prince, who was the head of Force 17 and the Black September operative believed to be the mastermind behind the Munich Massacre.
On July 21, 1973, in what would become known as the Lillehammer affair, a team of Mossad agents killed Ahmed Bouchiki, a Moroccan waiter unrelated to the Munich attack, in Lillehammer, Norway, after an informant mistakenly said Bouchiki was Salameh. Six Mossad agents, including two women, were captured by the Norwegian authorities, while others, including the leader Michael Harari, managed to escape back to Israel. Five of the captured were convicted of the killing and imprisoned, but were released and returned to Israel in 1975. Victor Ostrovsky claims that Salameh was instrumental in leading the Mossad off course by giving the Mossad false information about his whereabouts. Moreover, Ostrovsky says that Salameh directed his men to talk with the waiter once they saw the Mossad following him, thus reinforcing the Mossad's belief that they had found Salameh.Ostrovsky, 206.
In the aftermath of the affair, outrage forced Golda Meir to order the suspension of Operation Wrath of God. Yet five years later it was decided to recommence the operation under Prime Minister Menachem Begin and find those on the list and still at large.Reeve, 203.
The Mossad began its surveillance of Salameh's movements in Beirut during late fall of 1978. A Mossad agent calling herself Erika Mary Chambers and traveling under a 1975 British passport entered Lebanon and rented an apartment on the Rue Verdun, a street Salameh frequently used. Several other officers arrived under pseudonyms, including Peter Scriver and Roland Kolberg, traveling with British and Canadian passports respectively. After their arrival a Volkswagen was packed with plastic explosives and parked along Rue Verdun within view of Chamber's apartment. At 3:35 pm on January 22, 1979, Salameh drove down the street in a Chevrolet station wagon with four body guards. The Volkswagen was detonated from the apartment with a radio device, and finally, after 5 previously failed attempts,"[Death of a Terrorist]", Time Magazine, Feb. 5, 1979. Accessed June 19, 2006. Salameh was killed by the Mossad along with everyone else in the car. Four innocent bystanders were also killed in the explosion, including an English student and German nun. In addition, 18 others in the vicinity received injuries. Immediately after the operation the three identified Mossad officers vanished, as well as up to 14 other agents believed to have been involved."[Death of a Terrorist]", Time Magazine, Feb. 5, 1979. Accessed June 19, 2006.
Munich terrorists
Three of the eight terrorists that carried out the Munich Massacre had survived the rescue attempt at Fürstenfeldbruck airbase: Jamal Al-Gashey, Adnan Al-Gashey, and Mohammed Safady. They were released several weeks later after terrorists hijacked a Lufthansa airliner and demanded their release from the German government.Adnan Al-Gashey and Mohammed Safady were both killed several years after the massacre; Al-Gashey was found after making contact with a cousin in a Gulf State, and Safady was found by remaining in touch with family in Lebanon.Reeve, 188. This account was challenged by a recent book by Aaron Klein, who claims that Adnan died of heart failure in the 1970s and Safady is still living today.Beyer, Lisa. "[The Myths and Reality of Munich]", Time Magazine, December 12, 2005. Accessed June 20, 2006. Jamal Al-Gashey went into hiding in North Africa, where he is believed to still live. In 1999 he granted an interview to director Kevin Macdonald for the documentary One Day in September.One Day in September. dir. Kevin Macdonald, Sony Pictures presents an Arthur Cohn production, 1999, video recording.
Other actions
Along with direct assassinations, the Mossad used a variety of other means to respond to the Munich Massacre and deter future terrorist actions. Victor Ostrovsky says that this included psychological warfare, such as running obituaries of still living terrorists and sending highly detailed personal information to others.Ostrovsky, 180. Reeve further states that the Mossad would call junior Palestinian officials, and after divulging to them their personal information, would warn them to disassociate from any Palestinian cause.Reeve, 167. More directly, the Mossad engaged in a campaign of letter bombs against Palestinian officials across Europe.Ostrovsky, 180. Benny Morris writes that these attacks caused non-fatal injuries to the targets, which included persons in Algeria and Libya, Palestinian student activists in Bonn and Copenhagen, and a Red Crescent official in Stockholm.Morris, 381.Other assassinations
Several assassinations or assassination attempts have been attributed to the Wrath of God campaign, although doubt exists as to whether the Mossad was behind them. The first such assassination occurred on July 27, 1979, when the head of PLO military operations, Zuheir Mohsen, was gunned down in Cannes, France just after leaving a casino. Responsibility for the attack has been placed by various sources on the Mossad, other Palestinians, and possibly Egypt.Reeve, 215. Abu Daoud, a Black September commander who openly claims to have helped plan the Munich attack, was shot several times on July 27, 1981 by a gunman in a Warsaw hotel lobby. He has stated that the Mossad was behind the attempt, but it is unclear whether it was the Mossad or another breakaway Palestinian faction.Wolff, Alexander. "[No one has stood trial for the Munich massacre, but Israel's revenge operation brought lethal justice]", Sports Illustrated, Aug. 26, 2002. Accessed June 20, 2006. On June 8, 1992 the PLO head of intelligence, Atef Bseiso, was shot and killed in Paris by two gunmen with silencers. While the PLO and a recent book by an Israeli author Aaron Klein blame the Mossad for the killing, reports indicate that the Abu Nidal Organization was behind it.MacKinnon, Ian. "[Spielberg's take on Olympics massacre called into question]", Dec. 12, 2005. Accessed June 20, 2006.[MIPT Terrorism Knowledge Base]Black September and PLO response
Black September never achieved another major success of the magnitude of the Munich Massacre after Operation Wrath of God, although they did attempt and carry out a number of attacks.In December of 1972, four Black September terrorists took over the Israeli embassy in Bangkok, holding six Israelis and two Thais hostage. Though their demands were not met, all the hostages were later released.
On March 1, 1973 Black September again targeted an embassy, sending eight men to seize the Saudi Arabian embassy in Khartoum. The hostages taken included US ambassador Cleo Noel, US deputy ambassador George Curtis Moore, Saudi ambassador Sheikh Abdullah al Malhouk, and a Jordanian and Belgian official. This time their demands were quite broad: the release of militants in Israeli and Jordanian prisons, Baader-Meinhof Group, and the convicted killer of US Senator Robert Kennedy, Sirhan Sirhan.
The two US diplomats and Belgian Guy Eid were killed on the direct orders of Yasser Arafat, putting paid to the claim that Black September was a rebel PLO organization, rather than under Arafat's command.
The terrorists later surrendered to Saudi authorities, but were given only a seven year prison sentence.
Criticism
Since the knowledge of the assassinations has become known, Israel has faced accusations that it targeted people that were not involved in the Munich massacre or in terrorism at all.In a new book reviewed by Time magazine, author Aaron Klein (who based his book in large part on rare interviews with key Mossad officers involved in the reprisal missions) contends that the Mossad got only one man directly connected to the massacre. The man, Atef Bseiso, was shot in Paris as late as 1992. Klein goes on to say that the intelligence on Zwaiter, the first Palestinian to die, was "uncorroborated and improperly cross-referenced. Looking back, his assassination was a mistake." He elaborates, stating that the real planners and executors of Munich had gone into hiding along with bodyguards in Eastern bloc and Arab countries, where Israel could not reach them. Meanwhile, only minor Palestinian activists who happened to be wandering around Western Europe unprotected were killed. "Israeli security officials claimed these dead men were responsible for Munich; PLO pronouncements made them out to be important figures; and so the image of the Mossad as capable of delivering death at will grew and grew." The operation functioned not just to punish the perpetrators of Munich but also to disrupt and deter future terrorist acts, writes Klein. "For the second goal, one dead PLO operative was as good as another." Klein quotes a senior intelligence source: "Our blood was boiling. When there was information implicating someone, we didn't inspect it with a magnifying glass".Beyer, Lisa. "[The Myths and Reality of Munich]", Time Magazine, December 12, 2005. Accessed June 20, 2006.
Vengeance
The 1984 book, [Vengeance: the True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team] by Canadian journalist George Jonas, purports to tell the story of the Israeli assassination squad from the point of view of a self-described former Mossad agent, Yuval Aviv, an Israeli who now runs a private investigation agency in New York. Using the pseudonym Avner, Aviv claimed in Jonas's book to have led a hit squad that carried out a number of the assassinations. However, Aviv's account of the operation has not been independently verified. In fact, the Mossad director at the time of the operation, Zvi Zamir, has stated that he never knew Aviv.Melman, Yossi. "[Spielberg could be on the wrong track]", Haaretz, July 6, 2005. Accessed June 20, 2006. Some former Mossad officers who took part in Operation Wrath of God have also told British journalists that Juval Aviv's version of events is not accurate.Black, Ian and MacAskil, Ewen. "[Munich: Mossad breaks cover]", Guardian, Jan. 26, 2006. Accessed June 20, 2006.Since its publication several films have been based on Vengeance. In 1986, Michael Anderson directed the HBO film Sword of Gideon. Steven Spielberg released a second movie based on the account in December 2005 entitled Munich. Both movies use Yuval Aviv's pseudonym Avner and take a certain amount of artistic license with the facts.
See also
Notes
References
- Morris, Benny. Righteous Victims: A History of the Zionist-Arab Conflict 1881-1999. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1999. ISBN 0679421203
- Ostrovsky, Victor. By Way of Deception-The making and unmaking of a Mossad Officer. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990. ISBN 0971759502
- Reeve, Simon. One Day in September. New York: Arcade Publishing, 2000. ISBN 1559705477
- ["1973: Palestinian gunmen hold diplomats in Sudan"] from On This Day by BBC News.
External links
- ["Munich: Operation Bayonet"]
- ["The hunt for Black September"]
- [Deadly Battle of the Spooks], (Feb. 12, 1973) Time Magazine.
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