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Short Summary
Main recommendation: The video is not a how-to; its central point is that Israeli commandos carried out Operation Spring of Youth in Beirut on April 9–10, 1973, as a retaliation mission against PLO leaders linked to the 1972 Munich massacre. The commandos disguised themselves as tourists, some dressed as women, killed three high-ranking officials, and destroyed the Popular Front headquarters.
Key Points
- Operation Spring of Youth was part of Operation Wrath of God, a campaign launched by the Israeli government, Mossad, and the Israeli Defense Forces after eight Black September members killed 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
- Three elite units took part: Sayeret Matkal (Israel's army commando unit, led by Ehud Barak, later Prime Minister), paratroopers from Sayeret Tzanhanim, and Shayetet 13 (the Navy commando unit).
- The primary targets were Abu Yousef (Fatah leader), Kamal Adwan (Fatah co-founder), and Dr. Kamal Nasser (PLO spokesman and head of covert operations), who lived in two buildings across from each other in Beirut's Verdun neighborhood.
- Mossad obtained architectural plans, and the commandos trained for three weeks in replica apartments before the raid.
- The attack also destroyed the Popular Front headquarters with about 80 kilos of explosives and sabotaged a weapons factory and fuel depots near Tyre-Sidon.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions: The video gives no step-by-step instructions for the viewer to follow; it describes the operation's tactics, which were specific to the military mission and not offered as advice. Notable tactics included disguising as tourists (some wearing wigs and high heels, with practice walking in heels), carrying Uzis, suppressed pistols, and combat knives under clothing, and using rented cars driven by Mossad agents.
- The approach to Beirut was by missile boat from Haifa, with Zodiac speedboats landing at Ramlet al-Baida.
- The operation lasted about 10 minutes longer than planned, and the commandos were out of the area about two minutes after the attack began.
- Civilian casualties occurred: an elderly Italian neighbor was killed by accident, and Abu Yousef's wife was killed while trying to shield him.
- Two Israeli soldiers were killed and a few wounded; the video reports that five buildings were raided and roughly 100 Popular Front members were killed.
- The video says Lebanese government officials resigned in the days after the operation.
Bottom Line
Operation Spring of Youth was a planned, retaliatory covert raid that killed three senior PLO-linked figures in Beirut and is presented in the video as one of the Israeli military's most successful operations, though it also caused civilian deaths.
