Its the 7th June 1981. Operation Babylon is under way. Fourteen Israel fighter jets are on a high risk secret mission. Their goal? The part-French built atomic reactor, Osirak, near Baghdad.
The pilots video of the attack shows an enthralling scene. Without any precise maps or auxiliary tanks, the Israeli pilots play out a daring escapade.
0`45 K
In the cockpit that day was Squadron leader Amir Nachumi, one of the Israeli airforces leading pilots. He had a prominent eye-witness King Hussein of Jordan.
0`56 OT Amir Nachumi, Military Pilot Israeli Army
On Sunday afternoon King Hussein sat on a yacht in Aqaba and saw the 14 jets fly past. He understood what was happening immediately, and alarmed his command hq in Amman. He wanted to warn Baghdad about an Israeli attack. We dont know exactly, but perhaps the officers in Amman thought the king was drunk, or the officials in Baghdad thought the guys in Amman were drunk. At any rate, no-one did anything. It was a complete surprise attack. I remember we flew over a lake, and in low flight we saw Iraqis waving at us. And whats more, some officers thought we should remove all the Israeli markings from our planes. But just before we started, the prime minister saidf no, we wont attack like thieves in the night. So we actually painted huge stars of David on the side of our planes. The people must have seen this, and nonetheless waved happily at us. Can you imagine, if Saddam had developed the nuclear bomb by 1991? So I believe the attack saved the Iraqi people from devastation.
2`50 K
Today preventative attacks against enemies who threaten the stability of Israel is still part of military strategy. The Israeli army has also massively increased its strike power since 1981. They dont deal in meaningless threats.
K
The uranium enrichment programme in Iran is far bigger than the requirements for a civilian nuclear programme. A nuclear plant in Natanz now has a succesful centrifuge programme, capable of making weapons grade uranium, and in nearby Isfahan and Parchim, there are large heavy water nuclear technology centres.
It would be possible to bomb these centers, but there is no hard evidence of nuclear weapons as yet.
Military experts state that the lack of surprise and the fact the plants are scattered across the country makes attacks difficult.
4`23 K
OT Ephraim Kam, Jaffee Institute for strategy studies, Tel Aviv
An attack on Iran today would be significantly more difficult than the1981 attack on Iraq. But success is not impossible. It would be easier for the USA to enter than for Israel. There are different problems to consider: for Israel it is the distance. From us to the Iranian border its about 1000 km, and several hundred more to the nuclear plants. Its about twice as far as the Iraqi plant. The problem is, if diplomacy fails, and Iran continues to build nuclear weapons, there is only one option - military action, most likely from the USA, but also possibly from Israel.
5`15 K
David Mutai is an Iranian Jew, who has recently fled his country. He calls for a substantially harder stance against the mullahs. The ayatollahs, he believes, will only respond to hard sanctions. According to him, Tehran is merely playing a game of cat and mouse with the European diplomats.
5`27 OT David Mutai, Iranian Jewish Community, Israel
The official state doctrine of the mullahs is to extinguish Israel. Therefore they need the atomic bomb. Ever since they came to power they have bred hate against the Israelis among the population.
5`50 K
Can the Israelis really limit the nuclear ambitions of the Iranians, militarily or otherwise? This question is ringing around Jerusalem. If the Iranians should get hold of nuclear weapons, it would, they fear here, spark a nuclear arms race. Saudi Arabia and Egypt would be next.
This is the scenario they are confronted with daily here. On the fringes of this protest against Gaza strip settlers, the topic of Iran is also a hot topic.
6`21 Women
Ive got no doubt that Iran is gunning not only for Israel, but also for the whole western world. Its a mad country. The mullahs will stop at nothing. Their goal is world domination.
6`41 K
How should the Israeli government react?
6`45
The Israelis and the rest of the world should do something quick, not just talking, if they want to survive.
OT 6`49 Man
Iran finances Hezbollah and trains them up. Hezbollah is active in Lebanon and the Gaza strip. And Iran has been making it clear for two generations that they dont believe the state of Israel should exist. We cant ignore this threat, and Israel should not be facing it alone.
7`19 K
Israeli and America strategists talk of a red line that Iran cannot cross, for example if Tehran stops nuclear inspections or if Iranian technicians close the nuclear fuel cycle. Military action could then be justified.
7`37 OT Yuval Steinitz, Defence Committee, Knesset, Jersualem
The ayatollahs ideology is not so far removed from that of the Nazis under Hitler. I believe we have a real reason to be nervous. The regime is totally unpredictable. And Rafsanchani, a prominent political figure in Iran, said two years ago that Iran could afford millions of dead in a nuclear war. We took this statement very seriously. Until now they havent ironed out all their technical problems. This would be the best time to nip it in the bud.
Credits:
Reporter: Alexander Steinbach
Camera:Shlomo Levy
Editor: Richard Stanzl
The pilots video of the attack shows an enthralling scene. Without any precise maps or auxiliary tanks, the Israeli pilots play out a daring escapade.
0`45 K
In the cockpit that day was Squadron leader Amir Nachumi, one of the Israeli airforces leading pilots. He had a prominent eye-witness King Hussein of Jordan.
0`56 OT Amir Nachumi, Military Pilot Israeli Army
On Sunday afternoon King Hussein sat on a yacht in Aqaba and saw the 14 jets fly past. He understood what was happening immediately, and alarmed his command hq in Amman. He wanted to warn Baghdad about an Israeli attack. We dont know exactly, but perhaps the officers in Amman thought the king was drunk, or the officials in Baghdad thought the guys in Amman were drunk. At any rate, no-one did anything. It was a complete surprise attack. I remember we flew over a lake, and in low flight we saw Iraqis waving at us. And whats more, some officers thought we should remove all the Israeli markings from our planes. But just before we started, the prime minister saidf no, we wont attack like thieves in the night. So we actually painted huge stars of David on the side of our planes. The people must have seen this, and nonetheless waved happily at us. Can you imagine, if Saddam had developed the nuclear bomb by 1991? So I believe the attack saved the Iraqi people from devastation.
2`50 K
Today preventative attacks against enemies who threaten the stability of Israel is still part of military strategy. The Israeli army has also massively increased its strike power since 1981. They dont deal in meaningless threats.
K
The uranium enrichment programme in Iran is far bigger than the requirements for a civilian nuclear programme. A nuclear plant in Natanz now has a succesful centrifuge programme, capable of making weapons grade uranium, and in nearby Isfahan and Parchim, there are large heavy water nuclear technology centres.
It would be possible to bomb these centers, but there is no hard evidence of nuclear weapons as yet.
Military experts state that the lack of surprise and the fact the plants are scattered across the country makes attacks difficult.
4`23 K
OT Ephraim Kam, Jaffee Institute for strategy studies, Tel Aviv
An attack on Iran today would be significantly more difficult than the1981 attack on Iraq. But success is not impossible. It would be easier for the USA to enter than for Israel. There are different problems to consider: for Israel it is the distance. From us to the Iranian border its about 1000 km, and several hundred more to the nuclear plants. Its about twice as far as the Iraqi plant. The problem is, if diplomacy fails, and Iran continues to build nuclear weapons, there is only one option - military action, most likely from the USA, but also possibly from Israel.
5`15 K
David Mutai is an Iranian Jew, who has recently fled his country. He calls for a substantially harder stance against the mullahs. The ayatollahs, he believes, will only respond to hard sanctions. According to him, Tehran is merely playing a game of cat and mouse with the European diplomats.
5`27 OT David Mutai, Iranian Jewish Community, Israel
The official state doctrine of the mullahs is to extinguish Israel. Therefore they need the atomic bomb. Ever since they came to power they have bred hate against the Israelis among the population.
5`50 K
Can the Israelis really limit the nuclear ambitions of the Iranians, militarily or otherwise? This question is ringing around Jerusalem. If the Iranians should get hold of nuclear weapons, it would, they fear here, spark a nuclear arms race. Saudi Arabia and Egypt would be next.
This is the scenario they are confronted with daily here. On the fringes of this protest against Gaza strip settlers, the topic of Iran is also a hot topic.
6`21 Women
Ive got no doubt that Iran is gunning not only for Israel, but also for the whole western world. Its a mad country. The mullahs will stop at nothing. Their goal is world domination.
6`41 K
How should the Israeli government react?
6`45
The Israelis and the rest of the world should do something quick, not just talking, if they want to survive.
OT 6`49 Man
Iran finances Hezbollah and trains them up. Hezbollah is active in Lebanon and the Gaza strip. And Iran has been making it clear for two generations that they dont believe the state of Israel should exist. We cant ignore this threat, and Israel should not be facing it alone.
7`19 K
Israeli and America strategists talk of a red line that Iran cannot cross, for example if Tehran stops nuclear inspections or if Iranian technicians close the nuclear fuel cycle. Military action could then be justified.
7`37 OT Yuval Steinitz, Defence Committee, Knesset, Jersualem
The ayatollahs ideology is not so far removed from that of the Nazis under Hitler. I believe we have a real reason to be nervous. The regime is totally unpredictable. And Rafsanchani, a prominent political figure in Iran, said two years ago that Iran could afford millions of dead in a nuclear war. We took this statement very seriously. Until now they havent ironed out all their technical problems. This would be the best time to nip it in the bud.
Credits:
Reporter: Alexander Steinbach
Camera:Shlomo Levy
Editor: Richard Stanzl