August 1948 The situation between the newly formed state of Israel and Syria is as tight as a string. It is at this time that Israeli intelligence decides to intercept a Syrian arms shipment in the Mediterranean. The events accompanying the operation could become the canvas for an excellent action movie. And it's hard to believe that this movie hasn't been made yet.
In February 1948, a representative of Syria, Capt. Abdul-Aziz Kerine. Its task was to purchase significant amounts of weapons at the local Česká zbrojovka factories. In this way, Syria wanted to strengthen the offensive power of its army against the expected conflict with the future Jewish state. The captain purchased, among others 10 thousand rifles and 8 million rounds of ammunition.
Shopping? Only to Czechoslovakia!
Due to a coincidence, at the same time and for the same purpose, Ehud Aviel, an envoy from the Jewish Agency, went to Czechoslovakia. He also purchased a similar amount of weapons.
On the spot, he also learned about the mission of the Syrian captain. This disturbed him greatly. If the weapons that Kerine had purchased ended up in the hands of Syrian soldiers, it could significantly change the balance of power in the Middle East to the detriment of the Jewish state. David Ben-Gurion was quickly informed about the whole affair. The future prime minister of Israel did not hesitate even for a moment. He ordered the parcel to be stopped at all costs. This is how the first in a series of extraordinary Israeli intelligence operations began.
When David Ben-Gurion found out about the arms transport for the Syrians, he immediately understood that it must be intercepted at all costs.
Looking for a needle in a haystack
Meanwhile, unaware Arabs chartered the old Italian steamship "Lino", which was to transport the purchased weapons from the Adriatic port of Rijeka to Beirut. Their actions were closely watched by Ehud Aviel. He kept the headquarters of Hagana - the then Jewish armed organization informed about everything. A decision was quickly made to sink the SS "Lino" on the high seas. This task was to be performed by Canadian Air Force veteran Freddy Fredkens, piloting the Avro "Anson" transport.
For three consecutive nights, Fredkens took off from the airport near Rome and patrolled the Dalmatian coast, trying to find and bomb a steamship. However, nothing came of it. "Lino" disappeared like a stone in water.
The communists are to blame for everything
The mystery of his disappearance soon became clear. It turned out that on April 1, the ship was in a heavy storm zone. Following this, there were problems with the propulsion and the steamer had to call at the small Italian port of Molfetta. The Israelis reacted quickly. There was a plan to blow up the Lino in the port itself.
The arrival of a ship loaded with Syrian weapons in an Italian port almost overturned the political scene there. At that time, on the Apennine Peninsula, people were getting ready to hold the first free elections after the war. The communists gained great popularity.
Thanks to the ingenuity of Ada Serenia, the whole country learned about the alleged shipment of weapons for the Italian communists.
The Israelis used it very cleverly. Hagana's Italian associate, Ada Sereni, informed the editors of Corriere della Sera that the Communists were stockpiling weapons and preparing for a coup. Within twelve hours, this news made the headlines of every newspaper in the country. The communists, of course, denied and accused the right of an attempted coup d'état. The mutual blast of accusations has begun. Eventually, the Italian government reacted and ordered the unit to be arrested. The Lino was transferred to the Italian naval port of Bari. The Israelis thought that thanks to this they had gained the time they needed to organize the action.
Meanwhile, the commander of the steamship revealed to the authorities the origin of the weapon and the reasons for calling it at the port. In this situation, it was almost certain that the hosts would fire the unit in order to get rid of the trouble. There was also pressure on the Italians from the British sympathetic to Syria. Soon even a British destroyer moored near the Lino. The situation got significantly complicated.
Explosive condoms
Nevertheless, the Israelis did not give up their diversion. The commander of the operation was the head of the Roman Hagana outpost, Munia Mardor. Contractors have also been appointed. They were:Yosef Dror from Palmach - that is Hagana's special forces - and two divers - Benni Kravitz and Meir Falick.
Mardor organized an American Dodge military pickup truck, a set of US Army uniforms and false documents for his group. This allowed them to penetrate the port area. They also had a dinghy and a primitive face made of TNT, a car inner tube and condoms. Wet job
Members of the elite Palmach squad were assigned to sink the steamship "Lino".
On April 5, 1948, the Israelis left Rome for Bari. On the spot, they monitored the port and its surroundings for several days, trying to identify the possibility of an attack on the Lino. Nevertheless, the first attempt to disembark the ship under the cover of darkness failed due to the extraordinary activity of the British destroyer's crew, who swept the surface of the water near the steamer with searchlights. The diversionary group was forced to turn back.
Despite the first failure, the Jewish saboteurs did not intend to surrender. They made another attempt on the next day, on the night of April 9-10. This time, the crew's activity on the British ship was even greater. Lots of headlights were on, officers shouted orders, and at one point even a machine gun salvo was fired. However, there was no question of returning. The task had to be completed. Suddenly at 1.30, the reason for these actions on board the destroyer was explained. The ship just picked up the anchor and headed for the exit from the port! The road to "Lino" was open!
The steamer… evaporated
This time everything went according to plan. The divers tied a mine under the hull of the steamboat and withdrew safely. Punctually at 4.00 am, the ship was struck by a sudden explosion. The Lino sank within 10 minutes. The Italian press was again in use, this time writing about a mysterious explosion on a transport ship. The investigation conducted by the local police did not clarify anything. No one had any idea that the Israelis were behind everything.
However, the issue of Syrian weapons did not end there. The government of Syria decided to mine it. Col. Fuada Mardama. He hired an Italian company specializing in sea rescue, thanks to which a significant part of the valuable cargo was recovered. All that had to be done was to transport him to Beirut. The Jews had to go into action again.
The Italians, not wanting another incident to happen, placed Syrian rifles in warehouses under heavy guard. This precluded any diversion on land. Only an offshore operation was involved.
The kind will always be found
Colonel Mardam, meanwhile, had a real problem because he could not find a transport to transport the weapons to the country. Unexpectedly, the manager of the hotel where he was staying came to his aid. The man recommended him the shipping agency Menara Shipping Agency. This allowed him to charter the SS Argiro.
After initial setbacks, the Israelis finally got it right:the steamer "Lino" went down.
Mardam only knew one thing. The Israelis watched his every move carefully. The hotel manager was an associate of the Haganah intelligence service, while the agency in question was associated with the Jewish underground and during World War II dealt with smuggling Jews into Palestine!
Just before going to sea, the captain of the SS "Argiro" informed Mardam that two of his men had become ill and that he needed to ship new sailors. The "new" ones turned out to be the members of Palmach. The transport ship loaded the weapons in Bari and went to sea on August 19. Colonel Mardam, pleased with himself, flew to Syria.
A bloodless victory
During the voyage, new crew members sabotaged the engine room and immobilized the vessel. Fortunately, there was a fishing boat nearby, the skipper of which offered to help the captain of the "Argiro". Two fishermen then came aboard to discuss the details. Of course, they were Israelis. Now there were four agents aboard the steamer. They quickly overpowered the rest of the crew and took control of the ship.
Two small Israeli units, on which weapons were reloaded and the prisoners were transferred, approached its vicinity. The Argiro was sunk. The Jews, extremely efficiently and without bloodshed, intercepted their precious prey.
The Italian crew of the Argiro was given generous gifts and allowed to return to the country. Least happy the whole thing ended for Colonel Fuad Mardam. He was brought to trial and charged with collaborating with Israel. A death sentence was issued. Then the Israelis decided to take a rather unusual step and informed the Syrians through diplomatic channels that the entire operation was solely and exclusively their work. The execution of the sentence on Colonel Mardama was waived.