In 1979 Iraq had procured a nuclear reactor from France. This event had caused panic in the Middle East. During the Iran-Iraq War the Iranians had tried to destroy it but failed. It was the Israelis' turn to try.
The French agreed to supply Iraq with 72 kilograms of enriched uranium. On April 6, 1979 Israeli agents sabotaged the reactor as it was about to be loaded onto a ship bound for Iraq in France, while on June 14, 1980 Mossad agents killed the Egyptian nuclear scientist who was in charge of the Iraqi nuclear program.
In July 1980, the first 12.5 kilograms of enriched uranium of the 72 that had been agreed upon arrived in Iraq. Although the reactor, named Osirak, was supposed to be used only to produce electricity, information indicated that the Iraqis intended to produce plutonium for use in nuclear weapons. So Israel decided to destroy the reactor permanently eliminating any threat.
Planning the blow
The planned operation was codenamed "Opera" - also known as Operation Babylon. The distance between Israel and the target was 1,600 km. In order for the Israeli planes to get there and destroy the reactor, they had to pass through either Jordanian or Saudi Arabian airspace. Eventually they got through both. The Israelis decided to use F-16A fighters as strike instruments and F-15As to provide cover.
It was decidedthat the attack would be carried out by eight F-16s each carrying two AIM-9 missiles for self-defense, two 2,000-pound Mk-84 bombs and three external fuel tanks. The six F-15s that would cover the F-16s carried eight air-to-air missiles.
The Mossad reported to then Prime Minister Begin that the reactor would be operational in June 1981. So the strike had to come in short order. It is worth noting that the Israeli operation was based on aerial photos of the Iraqi installations sent by IRAN!
The Israeli jets took off in the early afternoon of June 7, 1981. The heavily laden F-16s had particular difficulty getting airborne but the experienced Israeli pilots managed. The Israeli planes flew very low, at a height of only 30 m . and entered Saudi airspace from the Red Sea.
The Israelis are said to have misled the Saudis by claiming to be Jordanians. However, other sources report that they did not have to do anything and that they flew undisturbed over the Saudi Arabian desert without being detected.
Some sources say the Israeli fighters were spotted by Jordanian King Hussein who was on his yacht in the Red Sea, who alerted the Iraqis, realizing that the target was the Iraqi reactor. However, this fact certainly happened, the Iraqis either were not informed in the end, or ignored the message.
Precision Bombing
As soon as the Israeli aircraft reached a distance of 20 km from the target, they went up, the F-16 at 2,000 m and the F-15 at 6,000 for cover. The F-16s performed a 35-degree dive and, on approach, dropped their bombs, in pairs, from an altitude of about 1,000 m. The Iraqi reaction was weak both because of surprise and because the Iraqi anti-aircraft operators had taken a lunch break...
All bombs found the target and destroyed it. The whole attack lasted only 2 minutes. Immediately the Israeli fighter jets turned towards Israel again flying undisturbed over Jordan, feigning, according to some sources, the Saudi pilots who became disoriented...Protests and UN resolutions followed, but the job for Israel was done strong> and the Iraqi nuclear threat no longer existed.
