Military|Operations
Operation Entebbe was a 1976 hostage rescue mission in Uganda that became a defining moment of Israeli military daring and international resolve.
On June 27, 1976, Air France Flight 139 was hijacked by two Palestinians from the PFLP and two German leftist terrorists. The plane, en route from Tel Aviv to Paris, was diverted to Entebbe Airport in Uganda, where dictator Idi Amin provided cover for the hostage-takers.
Over 100 Israeli and Jewish passengers were separated and held in the old terminal building. The hijackers issued demands: release dozens of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel and other countries. The clock was ticking.
Rather than negotiate, the Israeli cabinet approved one of the most audacious military rescues in modern history. A team of 100 elite commandos flew over 2,500 miles in a nighttime mission. Landing under cover of darkness, the team stormed the terminal, killing all hijackers and Ugandan soldiers attempting to resist.
Three hostages were killed in the firefight. The mission’s only Israeli casualty was the assault commander: Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, older brother of future Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Operation Entebbe—later renamed Operation Jonathan—became a case study in anti-terrorism, military logistics, and the ethos of not leaving citizens behind. The raid earned Israel global admiration, and Netanyahu’s death turned him into a national hero.
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IDF Special Operations Unit Reports, Israeli Security Cabinet Archives, Yonatan Netanyahu Letters and Memoirs, Entebbe Airport Incident Files (1976)
