Operation Opera
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Operation Opera, also known as Operation Babylon, was a surprise airstrike conducted by the Israeli Air Force on 7 June 1981, which destroyed an unfinished Iraqi nuclear reactor located 17 kilometres
The Osirak reactor prior to the Israeli attack
Menachem Begin, Prime Minister of Israel and in charge of the operation, disembarks from an aircraft upon his arrival in the United States, accompanied by Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Dayan.
F-16A Netz #243, flown by Colonel Ilan Ramon in Operation Opera. Here of 140 Squadron "Golden Eagle" (see tail), but at that time of 110 Squadron "Knights Of The North" at Ramat David Airbase.
Nose of F-16A #243 showing the triangular mission marking for the attack, a nuclear reactor silhouette against the Iraqi Air Force emblem.
Operation Scorch Sword
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Operation Scorch Sword was an Iranian airstrike on Iraq's Tuwaitha Nuclear Research Centre in 1980. Conducted eight days after the beginning of the Iraqi invasion of Iran, it was a surprise attack aga
Operation Opera
…Baghdad, Iraq. The Israeli operation came a year after the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force had caused minor damage to the same nuclear facility in Operation Scorch Sword, with the damage having been subsequently repaired by French technicians. Operation Opera, and related Israeli government statements following it…
An Iranian F-4 Phantom II being refueled during the Iran–Iraq War, 1982