Israeli intelligence has conducted a daring campaign to surpass the French security forces, bringing back five missile boats held by the country.
In the early 1960s, Israel decided to buy 12 unarmed Sa'ar 3 class patrol boats from France with the intention of converting them into missile ships, modernizing the navy and securing national security. However, after receiving seven deliveries, Israeli troops were embroiled in a comprehensive arms embargo against the Beirut airfield during a campaign against the Palestinian Liberation Organization. The remaining five Sa'ar 3 class ships were retained by the French, without consignments to Israel.
The Egyptian and Syrian rivals received the Soviet missile, while the backward Israeli fleet suffered losses during the War of Conspiracy (1967-1970), which led the ruling party to decide to launch Operation Noa. Steal 5 Sa'ar 3 ships left by the French, according to the Jewish Library.
Father of the Noa Campaign is the marshal Admiral Mordechai "Mokka" Limon, former Israeli commander and Israeli military attaché in Paris. He had many relations with the French and European governments through the Rothschild clan.
Thanks to Limon's relationship, Israel set up a starboard company called Starboat, registered in Panama but taken over by a Norwegian drilling firm. Company employees are Mossad spy, Israeli national intelligence agency. Top Starboat is Benyamin Vered, one of Mossad's top commanders.
Starboat negotiated with the French side, wishing to acquire five Sa'ar 3s to turn them into oil survey vessels, declaring their specifications to meet their requirements. In order to win the trust of France, Limon and Starboat representatives pretended fierce controversy over the talks.
The two sides agree that the five vessels will be delivered to the port of Starboat and operated by the Israeli navy. The purchase agreement between the Israeli government and the Starboat Company was approved with the approval of French Defense Minister Michel Debré.
The next step in the campaign is to devise a daily routine to deceive the French in Cherbourg, anchored by five Sa'ars. 3 The Israeli crew regularly manages these ships for short departures. day towards the Atlantic.
The crew was secretly reinforced by 80 officers from Israel. These people were disguised as civilians, divided into two groups pretending to be tourists to different places throughout Europe before coming to Cherbourg. The two groups must constantly change their residence, never stay at a hotel for more than one night, and carry their Israeli passports to avoid being found guilty of carrying false papers if arrested. On December 23, 80 Israeli officers arrived in Cherbourg and scattered around the city.
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Itinerary from France to Israel by Sa'ar Group 3. Graphic: Wikipedia.
Director Mossad Meir Amit rated the campaign as very risky. "Just one French policeman suspected the presence of too many Jews in Cherbourg during Christmas was enough to cause the operation to fail," Amit recalled.
Before leaving, the ships needed large amounts of diesel and food for the 8-day cruise. Crews must store fuel and supplies slowly in small quantities to avoid suspicion. By December 24, all five ships had enough fuel and food to travel to Israel.
The warship's engine startling in the night would strike the French authorities. So Colonel Hadar Kimhi, the commanding officer of the operation, ordered Israeli sailors to blow up the engine of the ship overnight so that Cherbourg residents could familiarize themselves with the sound. Israel will also provide additional supplies to the Sa'ar 3 border in Gibraltar and Biscay Bay.
Escapee
On the evening of December 24, 1969, the crew continued to maintain the ship, while 80 officers stepped up under the hull. Concerned that ships could sink across the Bay of Biscay in extreme weather, the Israeli navy arranged a meteorological expert to monitor all the weather reports of Britain, France and Spain.
The fleet is scheduled to depart at 20h30, but bad weather makes the departure time constantly delayed. Although receiving orders from Israel to sail in spite of the weather, Colonel Kimhi decided to continue waiting. By midnight, the meteorologist heard the weather report from Britain, saying the storm would weaken within two hours. At 2:30 am on December 25, the group left Cherbourg and headed for the sea.
French authorities did not know of the incident, until a British reporter visited the port 12 hours later and discovered all five Sa'ar 3 warships had disappeared. The group of Israeli ships crossed the Bay of Biscay before turning south into the Mediterranean, joining forces with the supply crew.
When ships crossed the Strait of Gilbraltar into the Mediterranean, the British surveillance station sent a signal asking them to confirm the identity but not respond. The British helicopter found no flag or identification number, but identified the Israeli fleet. The British monitoring station broadcast the signal of peace, before the Israeli warship continued its journey.
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A Sa'ar 3 ship after conversion by Israel. Picture: Wikipedia.
The boat was transmitted to the village
