40 years of the Lebanon War

Moments after the outbreak of the Lebanon War, Begin asked Raful: "Have we already left the Beaufort behind?"

Exactly 40 years after the outbreak of the war, the minutes of a dramatic discussion in the Northern Command were revealed, in which the chief of staff updated the prime minister on what was happening. The wording of Hebrew in a press release

Eli Ashkenazi

06/06/2022

Monday, 06 June 2022, 16:00

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In the video: Defense Minister Gantz in an interview with Amir Bohbot to mark the 40th anniversary of the First Lebanon War (Photo: Yotam Ronen, IDF and Defense Archives, report, Yizkor website, Reuters and Bnei Gantz's Facebook page, graphic design: Tomer Perlands and video editing: Amit Berkowitz)

Several key issues preoccupied Prime Minister Menachem Begin and the IDF leadership in the first hours of the so-called "Operation Peace of the Galilee" and over the years became known as the "First Lebanon War": concern for the safety of an air force pilot captured by terrorists; After a transistor (portable radio device, AA) so that it would be possible to listen to the newscast of 13:00 and then formulate a press release. Today, exactly 40 years later, the IDF archives in the Ministry of Defense reveal the minutes of the dramatic discussion.

The archive today (Monday) allowed the publication of two protocols: the first is part of a General Staff hearing held at the Chief of Staff's Office on June 5, 1982, a day before the operation, and the second is the Northern Command hearing where Prime Minister Menachem Begin was updated.

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Lt. Col. Tamir Masad (left) talks about the battle with the terrorists on Beaufort, with Prime Minister Menachem Begin (right) and Defense Minister Ariel Sharon (center) | Forty years since the war for Operation Peace of the Galilee (Photo: IDF Spokesman)

The chief of staff, Rafael Eitan and the IDF leaders participated in this discussion, which took place on the opening day of the operation, shortly after the outbreak of hostilities.

It started before 13:00, close to the start of the war.

In it, the chief of staff updated Begin on the progress of the IDF forces.

When the issue of the presence of Syrian army forces came up, Begin updated the head of the Armed Forces, Major General Yehoshua Sagi, on a Syrian observation squad on the Beaufort that had been "skipped backwards.

" We did not arrive, "the chief of staff replied, and Major General Sagi added:" We have not arrived yet, we crossed the Litani. "

"Have we already left the Beaufort behind?"

From the protocol (Photo: Ministry of Defense)

Raphael, apparently pointing to a map, explained to Begin: "Here, that force when he crosses the Litani and goes up here, the Beaufort will be behind him."

It can be understood from this that at this stage there is still no intention to conquer the Beaufort, but to leave the task for the future.

How significant was the image of the ancient Crusader fortress that became the stronghold of the terrorists, towering over a wide area and dominating it, can be understood from the reaction of the Prime Minister.

"The Beaufort you see from Metula is so close, like on the palm of your hand you see it," Begin said.

Chief of Staff: "He is eight kilometers in total.

It stands out on the skyline.

When you see something on the skyline, then it is ... ".

The Prime Minister:" You really see it on the palm of your hand.

So what now, we will be soon, no? "The

chief of staff:" In a little while, in a little while this force will be behind him.

The disconnect symbol.

Begin and Sharon on Beaufort (Photo: IDF Spokesman)

Eventually the operation to occupy the Beaufort began about six hours later.

This is a controversial battle, in which six Golani Regiment fighters were killed.

For years there has been a debate over whether an order has been given to temporarily postpone the conquest of Beaufort and continue to advance north.

To the heavy price of the battle for the conquest of the fortress and the debate over the timing of the battle were added the words of Begin and the defense minister in his government, Ariel Sharon, about the Beaufort summit on June 8.

Sharon told reporters who accompanied the visit that there were no casualties for our forces at the Battle of Beaufort, and then Begin asked if the terrorists "had machine guns"?

The use of an old-fashioned term for machine guns with which they fought at the time, became a kind of symbol of what was claimed as a so-called disconnect that existed between the prime minister and the defense minister and the chief of staff.

"Begin, Sharon and Raful - you murdered my son."

Jacob Gutterman, who lost his son Raz in the Battle of Beaufort (Photo: Reuven Castro)

That battle also spawned the beginning of civil protests against the war in Lebanon.

The six families of those killed claimed that it was a futile war and even demonstrated against it.

Until then, bereaved parents had not dared to express their opinions in such a way.

For example, Yaakov Gutterman, the father of Raz Gutterman who was killed in the Battle of Beaufort, waved a sign at one of the demonstrations and wrote: "Begin, Sharon and Raful - you murdered my son."

He said his son "was killed in a battle over a military insignificant sergeant, on a hill which Menachem Begin admired from its clear 'air of peaks'," and called on the soldiers 'parents to "start thinking and knowing that they have a duty to preserve their sons' lives".

Gutterman and the rest of the Beaufort family, as they were called in a book written by Rubik Rosenthal, changed the Israeli discourse around bereavement forever.

"Reagan will understand he has no one to talk to"

Following the discussion in the Northern Command at the beginning of the war, state and political issues also came up for discussion.

Begin said he told US President Ronald Reagan: "We will fulfill our sacred duty, SO HELP US GOD."

The prime minister believed that after these things Reagan "will understand that he has no one to talk to, that's it."

He further said that with the United States Ambassador to Israel, Samuel Lewis, he spoke in a "very sharp tone" about the ambassador's offer to arrive the next morning for a ceasefire with the PLO. Sam, I say - MISTER AMBASSADOR - that you do not make any comparison between us and the PLO for the second time. "

The prime minister, the chief of staff and the head of the Armed Forces also discussed the possibility of Syria joining the war, The news on the radio.

After listening to the report on the radio, they began to discuss the wording of the message issued by the IDF Spokesman. "The fire is lit on our settlements in the Galilee finger" but on "our settlements in the Galilee", because not only the settlements in the Galilee finger are hit by the Katyusha fire. The chief of staff suggests that "our settlements in the north" be written.

"Even you say terrorists, could be, raising hands - to spare."

From the protocol (Photo: Ministry of Defense)

The discussion also mentions the capture of Air Force pilot Aharon Ahiez.

Raphael has updated that he is in a clinic in Nabatieh and later seeks to block the deputies, apparently to prevent the pilot from being taken out of the area.

In this context Begin calls for taking prisoners, and clarified that they should not be killed.

"Whoever raises his hands as a signal to read - saved his life," he said.

When a response was heard that these were terrorists, Begin replied: "Even you say terrorists, can be, give up - spare him. And now we need prisoners."

Ahiez was released from captivity in August 1982.

"Do you think I'm afraid to be left alone?"

At some point Begin compared the mobilization of the reserve now to what happened nine years earlier, on the eve of the Yom Kippur War.

"If there had been recruitment then as today our situation would have been different," the prime minister said.

"If we had recruited at least on Friday (meaning the day before the Yom Kippur War broke out) the whole situation in the Middle East would have been different. At least on Friday. What a disaster."

The chief of staff wanted to say something in this context about Moshe Dayan, the defense minister in the Yom Kippur War and the foreign minister in the Begin government until two and a half years before the Lebanon war, but the prime minister interrupted him and spoke about the failures of the then security chief Eli Zeira. , His lion.

Begin wanted to mention that in the discussions in the Foreign Affairs and Security Committee of the city to Zeira in view of his assumption that there is a "low probability" of war.

"I said unto him, What meanest thou in the mind of the ruler of Egypt?"

"Soon this force will be behind the Beaufort."

Rafael Eitan (Photo: Ministry of Defense, IDF Archives)

Towards the end of the hearing, when Sharpol tells Begin that he has another hour to go out into the field, the prime minister asked him: "Well, then what, then I will be left alone?".

"You will be left alone, Abrasha (General Avraham Tamir, head of the National Security Unit in the Ministry of Defense) will stay with you, and the IDF spokesman will help ... and Rabbi AMN will be happy to stay here," the chief of staff replied. Amir Drori, going out, told them Begin: "Do you think I'm afraid to be left alone?".

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• The Lebanon War

• Menachem Begin

• Raful Eitan

• Beaufort