Raid on the Sun: Inside Israel's Secret Campaign that Denied Saddam the Bomb

The first authorized inside account of one of the most daring—and successful—military operations in recent history

From the earliest days of his dictatorship, Saddam Hussein had vowed to destroy Israel. So when France sold Iraq a top-of-the-line nuclear reactor in 1975, the Israelis were justifiably concerned—especially when they discovered that Iraqi scientists had already formulated a secret program to extract weapons-grade plutonium from the reactor, a first critical step in creating an atomic bomb. The reactor formed the heart of a huge nuclear plant situated twelve miles from Baghdad, 1,100 kilometers from Tel Aviv. By 1981, the reactor was on the verge of becoming “hot,” and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin knew he would have to confront its deadly potential. He turned to Israeli Air Force commander General David Ivry to secretly plan a daring surgical strike on the reactor—a never-before-contemplated mission that would prove to be one of the most remarkable military operations of all time.

Written with the full and exclusive cooperation of the Israeli Air Force high command, General Ivry (ret.), and all of the eight mission pilots (including Ilan Ramon, who become Israel’s first astronaut and perished tragically in the shuttle Columbia disaster), Raid on the Sun tells the extraordinary story of how Israel plotted the unthinkable: defying its U.S. and European allies to eliminate Iraq’s nuclear threat. In the tradition of Black Hawk Down, journalist Rodger Claire re-creates a gripping tale of personal sacrifice and survival, of young pilots who trained in the United States on the then-new, radically sophisticated F-16 fighter bombers, then faced a nearly insurmountable challenge: how to fly the 1,000-plus-kilometer mission to Baghdad and back on one tank of fuel. He recounts Israeli intelligence’s incredible “black ops” to sabotage construction on the French reactor and eliminate Iraqi nuclear scientists, and he gives the reader a pilot’s-eye view of the action on June 7, 1981, when the planes roared off a runway on the Sinai Peninsula for the first successful destruction of a nuclear reactor in history.

The first authorized inside account of one of the most daring—and successful—military operations in recent history

From the earliest days of his dictatorship, Saddam Hussein had vowed to destroy Israel. So when France sold Iraq a top-of-the-line nuclear reactor in 1975, the Israelis were justifiably concerned—especially when they discovered that Iraqi scientists had already formulated a secret program to extract weapons-grade plutonium from the reactor, a first critical step in creating an atomic bomb.

The reactor formed the heart of a huge nuclear plant situated twelve miles from Baghdad, 1,100 kilometers from Tel Aviv. By 1981, the reactor was on the verge of becoming "hot," and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin knew he would have to confront its deadly potential. He turned to Israeli Air Force commander General David Ivry to secretly plan a daring surgical strike on the reactor—a never-before-contemplated mission that would prove to be one of the most remarkable military operations of all time.

Written with the full and exclusive cooperation of the Israeli Air Force high command, General Ivry (ret.), and all of the eight mission pilots (including Ilan Ramon, who become Israel's first astronaut and perished tragically in the shuttle Columbia disaster), Raid on the Sun tells the extraordinary story of how Israel plotted the unthinkable: defying its U.S. and European allies to eliminate Iraq's nuclear threat.

In the tradition of Black Hawk Down, journalist Rodger Claire re-creates a gripping tale of personal sacrifice and survival, of young pilots who trained in the United States on the then-new, radically sophisticated F-16 fighter bombers, then faced a nearly insurmountable challenge: how to fly the 1,000-plus-kilometer mission to Baghdad and back on one tank of fuel. He recounts Israeli intelligence's incredible "black ops" to sabotage construction on the French reactor and eliminate Iraqi nuclear scientists, and he gives the reader a pilot's-eye view of the action on June 7, 1981, when the planes roared off a runway on the Sinai Peninsula for the first successful destruction of a nuclear reactor in history.

"Rodger Claire handles a complex story with ease and assurance. Infused with an understanding of the pilots and their historical mission, Raid on the Sun illustrates how what they achieved for Israel was as vital as that earlier flight of the Enola Gay to Hiroshima to end World War Two. Claire has created a patient, scrupulous story that still unfolds with the pace and verve of a thriller. Don't wait for the movie of the book. Buy it now."
   GORDON THOMAS, AUTHOR OF GIDEON'S SPIES: MOSSAD'S SECRET WARRIORS

"Raid on the Sun is an extraordinary look into the most secret, and perhaps the finest, air force on the planet. It is also a blistering indictment of the international arms industry that sells modern weapons to anyone with money. Raid on the Sun is required reading for everyone in the age of terror."
   STEPHEN COONTS, AUTHOR OF FLIGHT OF THE INTRUDER

"A stunning eye-opener, shocking you with the realization of the enormous service the Israeli Air Force rendered the free world with its 1981 attack on Saddam Hussein's nuclear facility. Claire went right to the source—the Israeli pilots who flew the mission—to tell in colorful detail the full story of this historic strike."
   

This is a wonderful blow by blow, minute by minute account from the diplomacy of the 1970s to the actual raid. The text is quick and witty and the reader will enjoy the fast paced narrative of this much needed account of a forgotten military raid, that may have saved the world from a nuclear armed Iraq. Anyone who enjoys military non-fiction or Middle Eastern conflicts will love this book, also anyone interested in the Saddam regime and Iraq will enjoy this fresh new account.

Seth J. Frantzman


Fortune favors the bold   October 14, 2004
The Sanity Inspector (USA)
12 out of 14 found this review helpful

The first part of this book, the cloak and dagger material featuring the Mossad, is drawn from Victor Ostrovsky's _By Way Of Deception_ and reportage by Seymour Hersh. These sources have generated considerable skepticism and controversy in the past, so reader beware.

The second part, focusing on the actual mission, is better. Rodger Claire was granted access to the mission pilots themselves, and their stories are first rate. They were superbly trained, highly motivated, and fiercely competitive. While cross-training on the F-16 in the United States, they impressed the USAF trainers with their incisive technical questions. At the time of this mission they were possibly the best fighter pilots in the world.

This section of the book answers a lot of mysteries, such as how the mission succeeded on a single tank of fuel per plane, how they avoided enemy interception, and why one of them missed the target. Also valuable is material from an interview with an Iraqi nuclear scientist, showing French perfidy in selling Saddam the reactor and uranium in the first place, and his eye-witness account of the Falcons swooping in to bomb his place of work. Thankfully for him, he was gettin his car fixed.

There are a number of annoying factual errors; for instance, Israel did not have F-4 Phantoms during the 1967 war, nor was the F-16 a U.S. Navy aircraft. There are also some surprises. Most of us know that mission pilot Ilan Ramon died in the Columbia disaster, but it's interesting to learn that another pilot, Iftach Spector, led the mistaken attack on the USS Liberty during the 1967 war.

Given the caveats about the first part of the book, I recommend it heartily. These brave pilots and their audacious mission bought the region a precious few more years to deal with Saddam. A bulls-eye!


Forgotten Part Of History!   June 2, 2004
Melvin Hunt (Cleveland,, Texas United States)
11 out of 12 found this review helpful

This book proved to be an outstanding chronicle of the daring raid on the Iraqui nuclear reactor in Osarik.The decision to
bomb the reactor was reached by Prime Minister Menachim Begin
after all attempts to stop the construction failed.Despite many
warnings to Iraq and the French the project advanced and was on the way to being completed.The Israeli government decided to stop
the construction of the nuclear reactor for their own safety and self preservation.Using F-16's the Israelis launched a cross country bombing run and leveled the nuclear reactor.Israel was
subjected to world wide condemnation for their actions.You would
have to know that the world breathed easier knowing that Saddam
didn't have an atomic bomb.Israel knew that Saddam was a villain before the rest of the world knew it. An excellent book about a part of history that has been forgotten.Read it.