How Mossad Plot To Kill Saddam Hussein Ended In 5 Israeli Commandos Dying
New Delhi:
The Middle East is once again on edge. What began as a sudden burst of Israeli airstrikes has now erupted into a full-blown military confrontation with Iran. Israel killed several of Iran's top military commanders and nuclear scientists.
Iran responded with hypersonic missiles and drone swarms, breaching Israeli defences and prompting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to declare, "The battle begins. No mercy for the Zionists."
As Israel and the US issue open threats to Iran and its Supreme Leader, another plot, albeit failed, to assassinate former Iraq President Saddam Hussein in the early 1990s comes to mind. It was called Operation Bramble Bush.
Israel's Forgotten Plot To Kill Saddam Hussein
Following the 1991 Gulf War, Israel viewed Saddam as a dangerous and unpredictable threat. Despite not being a party to the war, Israel suffered multiple Scud missile attacks from Iraq. Intelligence claimed Saddam was developing weapons of mass destruction. Determined to eliminate the threat, Israeli military and intelligence planners designed a mission to assassinate Saddam at a public event.
The plan, codenamed Operation Bramble Bush, was to be carried out by Sayeret Matkal, Israel's most elite commando unit. The target was a funeral in Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, where he was expected to attend. Disguised as Arabs, Israeli commandos would infiltrate the area and launch shoulder-fired missiles at Saddam's convoy during the ceremony. Mossad provided the intelligence, while the IDF's top brass approved the operation.
The Tze'elim Bet Disaster
On November 5, 1992, the Sayeret Matkal team assembled in the Negev Desert to carry out a live-fire rehearsal. To simulate the real attack, they used live missiles, under the assumption that safety measures were foolproof.
They weren't.
During the simulation, one of the operatives mistakenly fired a real missile at his own team, killing five elite soldiers and seriously wounding six others. The mission was immediately called off. The incident was later known as the Tze'elim Bet disaster.
An internal probe revealed serious lapses in planning, communication, and risk assessment. Two days later, Operation Bramble Bush was officially scrapped.
The deaths of the commandos were kept secret from the public for years, and the operation remained classified.
Then And Now
Three decades later, Israel finds itself once again targeting the top tier of another country, this time not in Baghdad but in Tehran.
In recent days, Israeli forces have executed a wave of high-precision strikes that killed some of Iran's most powerful figures, including IRGC chief General Hossein Salami, aerospace commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, and multiple nuclear scientists. The strikes also hit critical nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan, and Arak.
Unlike Bramble Bush, this is no covert op. It is a public military campaign.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not ruled out targeting Supreme Leader Khamenei himself. Calling Iran's regime an "existential threat," Netanyahu declared, "Israel's fight is not against the Iranian people. Our fight is against the murderous Islamic regime that oppresses and impoverishes you."
He added, "This is your opportunity to stand up and let your voices be heard... unite around your flag and your historic legacy."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
23 minutes ago
- NDTV
Over 650 Iranian Military Personnel, Civilians Killed In Israeli Strikes
Tehran: A US-based NGO said Friday that Israel's strikes against Iran have killed at least 657 people including civilians and members of the security forces, a toll based on sources and reports in Iran. The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said that at least 263 civilians had been killed nationwide since Israel began its strikes on June 13. Among these, it said it had verified the identities of more than 20 children who have been killed, mostly in Tehran. It added that 164 members of the military had also been killed. The overall death toll includes 230 people who HRANA was unable to determine whether they were civilians or members of the security forces. More than 2,000 members of the security forces and civilians had been wounded as of early Friday, it added. The group said strikes had taken place in 21 of Iran's 31 provinces. HRANA is part of the Human Rights Activists NGO, which was set up inside Iran in 2005 but later shifted to the United States in the face of repression from the Iranian authorities. It publishes dozens of reports a day, outlining human rights violations inside Iran. Israel said its campaign was aimed at halting Tehran from obtaining an atomic bomb, an ambition Iran denies having. Iranian authorities said Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. It has not issued an updated toll since then. Iranian strikes launched in response have also caused damage in Israel, where at least 25 people have been killed and hundreds wounded, according to the authorities.
India Today
43 minutes ago
- India Today
Iran expects India to condemn Israeli military actions against it
Iran expects India and other like-minded nations to condemn Israeli "military aggression" against it as such actions are "breach" of international law, a senior Iranian diplomat said on Javad Hosseini, the deputy chief of mission at the Iranian embassy, also hoped that Pakistan would not do anything that would harm Iran's response on Pakistan came when asked at a media briefing about Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir's meeting with US President Donald Trump in the White House on There is speculation that Washington is looking at using Pakistani military bases in case it decides to launch attacks on also said that India is a leader of the Global South and Iran expects New Delhi to condemn the Israeli actions of "breaching" international law by attacking a sovereign country."We believe every country, including India, should condemn it (Israeli military actions), not because of their relations with Iran but because these actions are in breach of global norms," he and Iran have fired hundreds of missiles and drones at each other's cities as well as military facilities since the hostilities began over a week if Iran was considering shutting the Strait of Hormuz, the Iranian diplomat did not give a direct reply and said several options are on the 30 per cent of the world's daily oil consumption passes through the Strait of to the International Energy Agency, even a brief disruption of passage through the strait will have a significant impact on oil markets."We have many things on the table, but it doesn't mean that we are going to do it now. It depends on the situation and how the other players want to go," Hosseini said."If they want to solve the problem, definitely some of these things will be put aside," he about possible impact of the hostilities with Israel on Iran's Chabahar port, the Iranian diplomat only said that any further escalation of tensions could have far-reaching implications for the flow of energy and other commodities."It is not just a matter of Chabahar, it's a matter of the whole region. If it escalates, it will definitely affect many things, definitely the flow of oil, shipments and commodities which are going through these channels will be affected," Hosseini said."Because of this, those countries who will be affected, it is better for them to think and to start stopping this aggression, to avoid any kind of negative effects on the economy of the region, which will definitely spread out to the whole world," he InMust Watch
India Today
43 minutes ago
- India Today
IDF chief says Israelis must brace for prolonged campaign against Iran
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir has declared that the country must prepare for a "prolonged campaign" against Iran, framing the ongoing military operation as a decisive and historic effort to eliminate a mounting existential a rare video address, Zamir said Iran had long been constructing a plan to destroy Israel, and the moment to act came when Tehran's military capabilities—particularly its missile arsenal—reached what he called the 'point of no return.'advertisement'We launched the campaign when Iran possessed around 2,500 surface-to-surface missiles, with a high production rate, such that within approximately two years, they were expected to possess around 8,000 missiles,' Zamir said, according to The Times of Israel. He cited Iran's ballistic missile buildup, nuclear advancements, and the growing influence of its regional proxies as reasons that 'compelled us to strike and deliver a preemptive blow.''The IDF will not stand by and watch as threats develop,' Zamir said. 'We will act proactively and in advance to prevent an existential threat and to face any challenge.'Describing the opening strikes as a success, Zamir claimed that Israel had achieved 'extraordinary results' by eliminating senior Iranian command figures, severely damaging nuclear infrastructure, and destroying nearly half of Iran's missile launchers—some just moments before opened an aerial corridor to Tehran and surprised the enemy despite its heightened state of alert,' he noted that the IDF had been preparing for this operation for years, and that it was launched at a moment of strategic advantage that 'history would not forgive' Israel for missing.'Had we delayed, there was a risk of entering the campaign from a position of clear disadvantage,' he added. 'We understood that history would not forgive us if we failed to act now to defend the existence of the Jewish people in the State of Israel.'Addressing Israeli citizens, Zamir acknowledged the toll of incoming missile barrages targeting civilians but framed the resilience of the home front as a source of strength.'Our enemies do not understand that the Israeli home front is the source of the IDF's strength, not its weakness,' he the military gears up for an extended engagement, Zamir emphasized that while the initial results are significant, the mission is far from over.'We have embarked on the most complex campaign in our history,' he said. 'The campaign is not over challenging days still lie ahead, and we must remain alert and united until the mission is complete.''I am confident that together, we will finish this campaign with Israel's hand on top,' he Watch
