The secret voyage, the dangerous raid and the critical mistake: the operation that shaped the 13th Squadron

It has been 35 years since Operation Delicate Hatzav, which paved the way for outstanding naval officers.

The officers who took part in the operation recreate the rare cooperation at sea, on land and in the air that led to the elimination of terrorist squads along the Lebanese coastline, and recall how the operation almost went awry

Amir Bohbot

15/07/2022

Friday, 15 July 2022, 21:15 Updated: 21:44

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Nine months after the capture of navigator Ron Arad in Lebanon, 27 officers and fighters of Squadron 13 were concentrated on board the Navy missile ship that sailed off the coast of Lebanon. It was shortly after midnight and they had combat gear, ski hats and camouflage.

They were ready for a descent into the water and a voyage into the unknown.

A series of officers who over the years will become the "Navy aristocracy", also known as the "stars of naval commandos", will lead the fight against terrorism of all kinds in the coming decades and whose name will be published throughout the State of Israel.

A series of dangerous events preceded Operation Delicate Slate.

Lebanese activists, Fatah supporters of the Nazarene Liberation Army, regularly ambushed along the Lebanese coastline in vans and jeeps, on which machine guns and missiles were placed. Various terrorism and carry out space defense missions.

Around 1987 a red line was crossed, and the danger was palpable to the point of downing an aircraft.

The General Staff gave the green light to launch a covert operation to attack those terrorist cells.

The mission was transferred to the care of Squadron 13 under the command of Colonel Uri Teich. The family "since 1980 is the brainchild of the then chief of staff, Raful: a model of" stimulation and response ", according to which navy vessels and Air Force aircraft will cause terrorists to leave hiding places and 13th Fleet fighters will wait for them.

After a full week of "battle procedure" and training, the operation began.

Navy Commander Avraham Ben-Shoshan and 13th Squadron Commander Uri Teich were on board the missile ship while Galant and his fighters swam toward shore.

Squadron Fighters 13 (Photo: Reuven Castro)

The commander of the operation was Galant, a very experienced officer who in the previous seven years had gained significant combat experience deep in Lebanese territory, including short-range clashes and face-to-face battles.

Below him was a young officer in the ranks of lieutenant and captain, who did not experience complex operations because of the relative calm that came after Operation Peace of the Galilee.

The first to get off the rubber boats ("mulies") they received from the Mossad was Yossi Korkin, who commanded the 30-mile voyage to the shores of Sidon in Lebanon.

Along the way there were quite a few glitches with the engines suffocated, having had to deal with a huge amount of jellyfish and fishing nets.

The professional skill and composure of the warriors under the command of Korkin, known as the "Ice Cube", helped to deal with the technical difficulties along the way and brought the warriors a mile away from the shores of Sidon.

After three hours of slow sailing in a row they got off the boats to the cold sea with Kalashnikov rifles and heavy equipment, and began to swim to shore.

"It's a combat swim above the water, on your back, with all the equipment that surrounds your body. Between 40-20 kilos per fighter. Imagine the fighter carrying the MAG (battalion machine gun) and the rest of the equipment," recalled one of the officers involved in the operation. "What works are just the legs, the hands are close to the body.

Occasionally looking back.

It's a fast step, the legs work beautifully. "

Squadron Fighter 13 (Photo: IDF Spokesman)

When they reached the mainland, the commander of the raid unit, Lt. Erez Zuckerman, and his deputy Lt. Ram Rotberg, were the first to raid with their fighters.

"The raid on the beach is a very sensitive and critical step for one very simple reason, even if the beach is quiet and you see nothing - you always have the thought that the enemy may have ambushed you, so scan the area with night vision and make a smart and quiet first ascent," said one The officers who participated in the operation.

"Zuckerman's force was held on the beach at a predetermined point, not far from the house of an Fatah officer who lived there.

"After him on another point in the axis was the force of Captain Tal Shaul, who had to go to a relatively far point, and then the force of Lt. Alon Perry."

The next step is to complete the preparations for the attack by the three forces in the field under camouflage, and a decision to launch the combat helicopters and vessels to begin the stimulus operation that will lead the terrorists to the 13th Squadron's fire trap. The exact number of terrorists hiding in the area.

"The timing of all the forces on land, at sea and in the air was of paramount importance. The operation was built in stages. A situation allows a situation," explained another officer who participated in the operation.

It was already after midnight.

"At a certain point, Tal Shaul gets in touch and reports a jeep moving in our direction. He sees it clearly. We have not yet reported that we are ready. No stimulus operation has yet been carried out on the terrorists. The combat helicopters have not arrived, not even the vessels," said one of the officers. .

Galant urged forces to prepare for the shooting agilely.

As soon as the vehicle, which had four terrorists on it, got on the axis and approached Zuckerman's force, the commander of the operation gave the order for a "blow of fire."

According to the officer, "It was an aggressive firefight. Eight Zuckerman fighters shot at the terrorists with Kalashnikovs. Whoever fired first hit a vehicle that was in a very short range and stopped it. From the wing they fired a missile, which hit the jeep and overturned it. "Spray. The force worked well. We were very trained."

About 20 seconds later Galant announced on the radio network: "Stop fire".

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Galant reported to Korkin and the STIL that the mission had been carried out successfully and that four terrorists had been killed in the vehicle.

After a short time came the command to "stop and fold".

A few minutes passed, the three forces collected the equipment and prepared for the arrival of Korkin and his warriors near the shore.

Another moment Galant and 26 warriors and commanders will again be required to enter the water with the equipment and swim deep into the sea.

Suddenly, the fighters spotted a pickup truck, with a machine-gun aimed at the sky, approaching from south to north directly into Zuckerman and Galant's force.

"Zuckerman quickly organized the force that was already in advanced folding stages, but this time it is far away. A distance of more than a hundred meters from the force. Galant reported to Uri Teich, who did not authorize him to storm the van," recalled an officer who participated in the operation.

The power of Zuckerman and his deputy Rotberg again opened fire.

A first missile stopped the pickup, firing from the machine guns, and then another Lao missile that turned the pickup on its back.

Within minutes, Galant, Shaul, Zuckerman, Rotberg, Perry and the other fighters managed to kill eight terrorists without any assistance from the air or sea.

Galant issued a "fold from the ground" order.

As they stand collecting equipment, Air Force fighter jets emerge and begin to illuminate the sky using light bombs.

"The night turned into a day," said one of the officers from the operation, "someone forgot to update the Air Force."

Fighters of Squadron 13 (Photo: IDF Spokesman)

Galant instructed the forces to quickly hide before a squad of terrorists swarming the area would recognize them and rush to attack them.

"I can't get off the beach. Stop the Air Force lighting. Stop the craft. Stop the helicopters," Galant called Teich's lieutenant colonel.

After about ten nerve-wracking minutes, and fearing that every second another jeep could surprise them, the warriors began to enter the sea and swim towards the boats.

The operation was crowned a dizzying success.

The forces returned to the base of the unit in Atlit unharmed, and since then the terrorist organizations have stopped firing on vessels and combat helicopters.

In a week, the commando fighters will mark the 35th anniversary of the operation, which has been dubbed the "Delicate Hatzav," which paved the way for a series of "shock and disappearance" operations to follow.

This week, the fighting route of the 13th Fleet ended in the presence of Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Aviv Kochavi and Navy Commander Major General David Selma.

Kochavi opened his remarks with a story about the battle commando of the naval commando to mark their way: "They swam into the distance, they approached an enemy ship, they approached the shore in a dive, they went ashore and opened fire, they hit the target, they completed the mission, they Come back with a huge sense of satisfaction. In a moment the shallow bay will be replaced by the waters of deep enemy states. By your side, whose actions remain confidential, but their contribution and heroism deserve all praise. "

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Participants in Operation Delicate Hatzav and those who accompanied him agreed that not only was it a groundbreaking operation that led to no less covert and daring operations, but assisted the young officers in their decision to remain in military service and advance in the ranks.

- died about 12 hours after the operation from a heat stroke during training at sea.

.

- Later he commanded Squadron 13, the Walnut Unit, the Golani Brigade and the Fire Path Division.

- later commanded the Cherry Unit, Squadron 13, and Commander of the Navy.

- later appointed commander of the raid unit of Squadron 13, commander of the undercover unit Shimshon, commander of a battalion of fighters in Squadron 13, commander of the GSS Personal Security Unit, head of the security division.

- later appointed commander of the Squadron of Fighters in the 13th Squadron and in September 1997, during an operational activity in Anzaria, Lebanon, was killed along with 11 of the Squadron's fighters.

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• Yoav Galant