How Mossad Plot To Kill Saddam Hussein Ended In 5 Israeli Commandos Dying
New Delhi:
The Middle East is once again on edge. What began as a sudden burst of Israeli airstrikes has now erupted into a full-blown military confrontation with Iran. Israel killed several of Iran's top military commanders and nuclear scientists.
Iran responded with hypersonic missiles and drone swarms, breaching Israeli defences and prompting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to declare, "The battle begins. No mercy for the Zionists."
As Israel and the US issue open threats to Iran and its Supreme Leader, another plot, albeit failed, to assassinate former Iraq President Saddam Hussein in the early 1990s comes to mind. It was called Operation Bramble Bush.
Israel's Forgotten Plot To Kill Saddam Hussein
Following the 1991 Gulf War, Israel viewed Saddam as a dangerous and unpredictable threat. Despite not being a party to the war, Israel suffered multiple Scud missile attacks from Iraq. Intelligence claimed Saddam was developing weapons of mass destruction. Determined to eliminate the threat, Israeli military and intelligence planners designed a mission to assassinate Saddam at a public event.
The plan, codenamed Operation Bramble Bush, was to be carried out by Sayeret Matkal, Israel's most elite commando unit. The target was a funeral in Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, where he was expected to attend. Disguised as Arabs, Israeli commandos would infiltrate the area and launch shoulder-fired missiles at Saddam's convoy during the ceremony. Mossad provided the intelligence, while the IDF's top brass approved the operation.
The Tze'elim Bet Disaster
On November 5, 1992, the Sayeret Matkal team assembled in the Negev Desert to carry out a live-fire rehearsal. To simulate the real attack, they used live missiles, under the assumption that safety measures were foolproof.
They weren't.
During the simulation, one of the operatives mistakenly fired a real missile at his own team, killing five elite soldiers and seriously wounding six others. The mission was immediately called off. The incident was later known as the Tze'elim Bet disaster.
An internal probe revealed serious lapses in planning, communication, and risk assessment. Two days later, Operation Bramble Bush was officially scrapped.
The deaths of the commandos were kept secret from the public for years, and the operation remained classified.
Then And Now
Three decades later, Israel finds itself once again targeting the top tier of another country, this time not in Baghdad but in Tehran.
In recent days, Israeli forces have executed a wave of high-precision strikes that killed some of Iran's most powerful figures, including IRGC chief General Hossein Salami, aerospace commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh, and multiple nuclear scientists. The strikes also hit critical nuclear facilities in Natanz, Isfahan, and Arak.
Unlike Bramble Bush, this is no covert op. It is a public military campaign.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not ruled out targeting Supreme Leader Khamenei himself. Calling Iran's regime an "existential threat," Netanyahu declared, "Israel's fight is not against the Iranian people. Our fight is against the murderous Islamic regime that oppresses and impoverishes you."
He added, "This is your opportunity to stand up and let your voices be heard... unite around your flag and your historic legacy."
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