A rare glimpse into the preparations of the Air Force that preceded the assassination of a senior jihadist • Mission Command, Lieutenant C: "I realized that the target is especially important" • The full story tomorrow in "Sitting"
The time was 03:55 on Tuesday, November 12, 2019, and the air in the UAV operating vehicle at the Palmachim base could be cut with a knife.
Remains of the house of Abu al-'Ata
Minutes before the assassination of Abu al-'Ata, commander of the northern brigade of al-Quds Forces, the military arm of Islamic Jihad, senior officers knew it would be the opening shot for a new round of violence in the south and missiles at Gush Dan.
They also knew that the man, who was responsible for the vast majority of the terrorist attacks from Gaza into Israeli territory in the year before the assassination, must die.
After many inquiries from "Israel Today", the Air Force allowed us a glimpse into the planning and execution of the assassination operation, through the prism of the remote manned aircraft unit and a glimpse into the activities of the operational operations division.
For a long time, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Israeli UAVs closely monitored the Palestinian official, documenting all his actions and daily routine. "We knew how to point out his house, where the man was," says Major A.
Code X
The aircraft operators documented every minute, examined how it was conducted and identified vulnerabilities.
"For a long time we were above him, connected with all our intelligence capabilities, taking pictures and reflecting the image to the intelligence personnel," the operators say.
To prevent information leakage only a few secret keepers knew who the man they were following was.
The rest called it Code X, which is not allowed to be published to this day.
"I realized that this was a particularly important destination," says Lt. G., the mission commander of the 200th Squadron.
Under censorship restrictions, officers recount the dramatic moments before the assassination as part of Operation Black Belt - and after the exact hit on the terrorist man's bedroom.
The UN reveals that they were prepared for a wide-ranging operation in the Gaza Strip, including other targeted assassinations, which were on the table, if the events escalated "we were ready for anything, including escalation and an operation.
We have information on everyone who needs it in the Gaza Strip and we know how to bring accurate intelligence on anyone who violates the routine.
We have built target portfolios over time so that we will be ready on the day of the order, "says Major A.
Along with the assassination of Abu al-'Ata, members of Squadron 200, which operates the Shoval UAV, provide a rare glimpse into the IDF's unmanned array of aircraft.
The main function of remotely manned aircraft is to gather critical intelligence prior to and during operations, including aiming laser armament and examining bomb results.
"Today, every ground operation, everywhere, has a remote-manned aircraft that accompanies it. When there is an incident at the border, in the north or in the south, we are there in a few minutes. We are ready for any incident and any scenario," says Lt. Col. R. "M, who commanded all the UAV operations in Operation Eitan." Our array performs about 75 percent of the Air Force's operational flight hours. "