DON'T MESS WITH ISRAEL OR YOU GET HURT : Lebanese TV allowed onto IAF base to send Hezbollah a message

In rare use of public media, Israeli air force allow Lebanese television network to film inside base, interview IAF commander in bid to send Hezbollah a clear, direct threat

A Lebanese network was given rare and unprecedented access to an Israeli Air Force base as part of a larger attempt to sendHezbollah a message.

A reporter from Lebanon's LBC interviewed Ramat David Air Force Base commander, as well as Captain Avihai Aderi, head of Arab media at the IDF Spokesperson Unit.

 

LBC's report on IAF and Hezbollah threat

 

At the beginning of the report, the Lebanese network focused on attempted to reach an agreement regarding Syria: "While world power are at the Geneva II conference to find a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis, head of the Ramat David Air Force Base sends a threatening message, warning against the continued transfer of strategic arms from Syriato Hezbollah, threatening that his army will work to prevent arms' transfer."

 

IAF commander in Lebanese report

 

The air force unit commander – who like all IAF pilots and commanders must remain unnamed and masked – said in the rare interview that "We are closely following attempts to smuggle arms from Syria to Lebanon and attempting to prevent it from reaching Hezbollah."

 

He further noted that "Hezbollah has begun receiving the type of weapons that are superior to those of independent and neighboring countries and we must prepare for such a scenario."

 

Ramat David base in Lebanese report

 

Aderi, the Arab language IDF spokesperson, told LBX that "Hezbollah has turned 200 villages in southern Lebanon into munitions caches, using them to threaten the Israeli home front. The IDF cannot let Hezbollah to harm Israelis so easily."

Eventually, the message the IDF was panning on sending Hezbollah was made crystal clear: "The IDF understands that the arrival of such strategic arms to Hezbollah in Lebanon will be what sparks the next war."

Ynet News

Israel Air Force Hosts Largest International Military Exercise in Israel’s History

On Sunday, November 24, for the first time in Israel’s history, the Israel Air Force launched the “Blue Flag” training exercise – an international air force exercise with participation by the US, Italian and Greek air forces.

This past Sunday, Nov. 24, the Israel Air Force launched – for the first time in Israel’s history – the Blue Flag international training exercise at the Ovda airbase in southern Israel. The large-scale international exercise is a joint exercise of the US, Italian and Greek air forces and will be held entirely in English. The exercise, which will continue through Thursday, Nov. 28, is a part of the IAF’s elite training program. The goal of the exercise is to improve Israel’s general air defense capabilities while learning together and cooperating with global allies.

US Ambassador to Israel, Dan Shapiro, was present at the opening of the exercise. “Israel lives in a dangerous neighborhood. We need the best equipped, best trained forces as possible to protect our people and our security,” he said. “We also need allies and we have great allies here…all training together and reinforcing a partnership that gets stronger with each passing year.”

The exercise involves workshops that simulated enemy forces as well as training missions to identify anti-aircraft missiles. The exercise showcases the Israel Air Force’s aerial capabilities. Just last month, the IAF conducted a special long-range flight exercise in which squadrons practicedrefueling planes in midair, testing the IAF’s ability to fly exceptionally long distances.

Watch as the IAF refuels midair: 

“For us, it is about training together,” a US Air Force soldier explained. “We have been leading up to this exercise for a couple years now. We’re here to continue to work together.”

“Blue Flag” has been in the works for over a year, and the IAF had conducted two training flights a day during the past six months in anticipation of the exercise, in addition to conducting a preparatory workshop earlier this year which had aerial teams train for flights conducted entirely in English.

 

click here to see more photos

Representatives from other countries observed the exercise, with the possibility of participating in future years.

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Satellite photos confirms S-125 antiaircraft missile batteries in Israeli attack

Satellite photography of the site near Latakia reveals that advanced S-125 antiaircraft missile batteries were objective of the strike that occurred 10 days ago, attributed by foreign publications to Israel

Satellite photography taken of the site near Latakia in Syria, which foreign publications claim was the site of an Israeli attack nearly 10 days ago, prove that the targets of the attack were advanced S-125 antiaircraft missile launchers. The launchers were in the process of undergoing upgrades, which made them a substantial threat as far as the Israeli Air Force was concerned.

The satellite photos were taken on the actual day of the attack merely several hours before the missile batteries were destroyed, and were revealed by the investigative journalist Ronen Solomon.

The photography was carried out on the day of the attack by a company that offers satellite services to the US defense establishment, despite the fact that it usually focuses on photography in other Middle Eastern arenas, with emphasis on the efforts against Al Qaeda. It is possible that the reason the photography, which covered the site at precisely that timing, was carried out was due to a warning provided by Israel to the US moments before an attack. In any case, the satellite photography makes it possible to identify that an air defense base is situated at the center of the strike area, where Russian-produced S-125 battery was deployed.

According to Mr. Solomon, an analysis of the photos indicates that it is a battery that underwent upgrade to an M2 or K2-class S-125 system, which renders the battery mobile while additionally improving the locking systems and the ability to engage targets simultaneously. In its new version, the system is further equipped with optical systems for contending with electronic warfare disruptions, cruise missiles, a certain type of ballistic missiles and interceptions by US F-16 fighters.

The photos reinforce publications in the international media from 2012 which indicated that Russia upgraded the advanced antiaircraft systems while cooperating with the Syrian military in a joint project. The battery's primary limitation with regards to the more advanced S-300 batteries is mostly in the ability to identify and engage long-range targets. The system is built for interception ranges of up to 40 kilometers. In the past, Russia utilized several contracts for the supply of S-300 systems. All of the contracts were carried out via upgrades to of aging S-75 or S-125 antiaircraft sites, so it is possible that the intent was to upgrade the S-125 batteries in the Latakia region to S-300 systems as well.

In addition, the satellite photography reveals that there is a courtyard of a structure that is generally abandoned (according to older photography of the areas) at a distance of several hundred meters from the location of the batteries that were apparently destroyed. The courtyard was turned into a parking lot for several vehicles that tow heavy loads such as missiles. The lot is located near weaponry warehouses of the kind that Israel bombed before in northern Damascus last May, according to international media. According to the photography and the reports from Syria, it is possible to assess now that the target of the attack in the area of Latakia was in fact the air defense base that housed antiaircraft systems undergoing upgrades, which posed a threat to the IAF's freedom of operation.

Israel has refused to officially respond to claims that it attacked targets in the Latakia region. However, USS officials confirmed that Israel was indeed behind the attack, in publications that appeared in US media. Without discussing the publications on the attack themselves, Israeli officials confirmed that advanced antiaircraft batteries, such as those that were at the site attacked in Latakia, are a considerable threat to the IAF's freedom of operation, and Israeli officials claimed that there is concern that Syria might transfer the advanced batteries to the hands of the terror organization Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israeldefense

IAF strikes underground rocket launchers in Gaza following mortar fire

Hostilities come one year after Operation Pillar of Defense.

IAF aircraft struck two underground rocket launchers in the Gaza Strip on Thursday in response to earlier mortar fire from the coastal territory into southern Israel.

Palestinians did not report any injuries or damage in the strike.

The hostilities occurred as Israel was marking one year since it began Operation Pillar of Defense to root out terror infrastructure in Gaza.The IAF strikes came after two mortar shells were fired into southern Israel from Gaza on Wednesday morning. No injuries or damage were reported in the attacks.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said that Hamas is manufacturing and storing rockets in Gaza residential areas, and although Israel will strictly uphold international law, it will not “sit on its hands” in the face of terrorist threats

Jerusalem post

Israel preps for massive air drill with US and Europe

The Israeli Air Force will conduct a joint drill with a bevy of some 1,000 pilots from other nations in the Negev Desert later this month.

The two-week exercise will take place at the Uvda air base, near the southern resort city of Eilat, and will include air crews from the United States and Europe, including Greece, the IAF announced Tuesday.

The drill, which has been dubbed “Blue Flag,” will be modeled after the US Air Force’s annual Red Flag desert exercise. 

More than 100 aircraft will be on hand to participate in simulated dogfights and surface-to-air exercises in a war of the skies.

It will be the largest international drill ever held in Israel, requiring the IAF to conduct extensive preparations and will test the IAFs state of readiness.

“A moment before the start signal, Israeli squadrons are embarking on a preparatory workshop during which they’ll take off, maneuver and drill for four full days so as to ready themselves, as much as possible, for the impending international exercise,” the IAF said in a statement on its website.

Israeli pilots have also been practicing their in-flight English.

“Blue Flag is a highly advanced drill and we have to conduct it in English – something that we aren’t accustomed to,” said Second Lieutenant Omri, who is in charge of one squadron’s preparatory workshop.

The IAF has been drilling extensively in recent years for the possibility that it will be called upon to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities.

Last month, as talks over Iran’s nuclear program kicked off in Geneva, the IAF conducted several large exercises over the northern border and the Mediterranean Sea, with fighter aircraft practicing a simulated strike on a distant target.

Those flights included midair refueling, coordinated strikes to an exceptionally long distance, and dogfights. They were carried out over the territorial waters of Greece, which will be among the countries participating in Blue Flag this month.

Israel attacks Syrian missile base

Israel conducted air raids against a Syrian missile base near the port city of Latakia early on Thursday, according to an anonymous US administration official.

The official, speaking to CNN, said Israel targeted missiles and related equipment out of concern that they would be transferred to Hezbollah.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which collates reports from opposition activists,said there had been an explosion at a Syrian air defense base near Jableh, in the Mediterranean coastal province of Latakia. The Latakia area is an Alawite and regime stronghold.It is unclear why the US would leak such information, as it could increase the pressure on Syria to retaliate against Israel.

“We’re not commenting on these reports,” a spokesman for the Defense Ministry said.

Israel has repeatedly warned that it is prepared to use force to prevent advanced weapons, particularly from Iran, reaching Hezbollah through Syria. According to foreign reports, Israel reportedly carried out several air strikes on Syria earlier this year.

The Lebanese National News Agency said Israeli fighter jets and reconnaissance planes entered Lebanese airspace on Thursday morning and circled over Lebanon before returning to Israel.

Pan-Arab news outlet Al-Arabiya reported on Thursday evening that Israel attacked two targets in Syria: one target near Latakia and the other in Damascus.

Al-Arabiya quoted sources saying that the target of the alleged Israeli attacks were SA-8 surface-to-air missiles that were being delivered to Hezbollah.

Missiles fired from the Mediterranean Sea targeted the air defense base near Latakia, according to Syrian opposition sources quoted by the report.

Jerusalem Post

Israeli jets destroy weapons shipment from Syria to Hezbollah

Israeli warplanes on Tuesday destroyed a shipment of missiles that were to be delivered to Hezbollah near the Lebanese-Syrian frontier, according to the Kuwait newspaper Al-Jarida.

The paper’s story, which quotes a senior Israeli official, has not been confirmed by any other news source. There was also no word on whether the attack took place on Lebanese or Syrian soil.

Israel has reportedly launched at least three attacks against convoys that were said to be delivering arms to the south Lebanon-based Shi’ite organization.

The Kuwaiti daily also reported last Friday that Israel has information on the location of long-range missiles transferred from Syria to Hezbollah in Lebanon and is considering taking military action to destroy the weapons.

The paper, quoting an Israeli security source close to Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, reported that the remote-operated missiles, with a range of 1,500 kilometers, were made in China and further developed in Iran.

According to the source, the missiles are being stored by Hezbollah in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon.

The Jerusalem Post could not confirm the veracity of the report.

Al-Jarida quoted the Israeli source as saying that Jerusalem views the missiles as posing a danger to the security of Israel and are therefore examining the possibility of destroying the arsenal.

Israel has said repeatedly that while it does not wish to interfere in Syria's civil war, it would act to halt the transfer of chemical arms or "game-changing" weapons to Hezbollah.

"Our policy is to stop, as much as possible, any leaks of advanced weaponry to Hezbollah and other terrorist organizations. We will continue to act to ensure the security interests of the citizens of Israels," Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu stressed earlier this year.

According to foreign reports, Israel has struck weaponry earmarked for Hezbollah within Syria's borders on a number of occasions in the past year.

Jerusalem post 

Soldiers, Tanks and Helicopters Unite to Take Down Simulated Hezbollah Stronghold

Officer School cadets participate in a Ground Forces and IAF joint exercise simulating a southern Lebanese village.   

The Ground Forces participated in a joint exercise earlier this week at the Shizafon Base in the Negev, combining officer school cadets from the Artillery, Engineering, and Armored Corps, in joint cooperation with the IAF. The goal was to simulate a real-life scenario where soldiers and commanders engage in joint maneuvers. The village was designed to resemble a Southern Lebanese village home to Hezbollah terrorists.

It is important to open up a professional discussion between the troops,” Shizafon base commander Col. Guy Hasson said. “We understand that in this era we have no chance of meeting our goals without cooperation.”

Col. Hasson stressed the importance of joint participation in order to understand how both the soldiers and officers interact with one another, as well as how the brigades manage in different terrains and how they can work in unison to form a cohesive team. “It is crucial to create the most accurate scenarios where soldiers are challenged to make decisions so they are prepared and well-trained in life-threatening situations,” he said.

Soldiers who participated in the drill had to account for the possibility of injuries. To simulate such an operation, two soldiers were carried out on stretchers and evacuated from the exercise on a Jeep.

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Watch out Iran - Israel Air Force carries out long-range strike simulation in a show of Israels military might

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Israel's military announced yesterday that Israeli Air Force (IAF) squadrons carried out a series of exercises designed to test their capability to conduct missions at a long-range from base. The drills appeared to be a reminder that Israel is prepared to act alone in order to combat Iran's nuclear threat.

Greek television reported that a joint exercise had been conducted between the IAF and Greece's Hellenic Air Force.
 
Unusually, the manoeuvres were openly publicised on the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and IAF websites including video clips of the drill. Most IAF squadrons reportedly participated in the exercise, which featured dogfights and both F-15 and F-16 jets refuelling in mid-air.

The Israel military websites stated that "The Israel Air Force, known as the IDF's "long arm," plays a central role in carrying out Israel's military option if necessary," adding that "All options on the table implies military options as well." The official IDF blog said that similar drills have been carried out in recent years and that the aim is to rehearse "all aspects of a given situation, from its planning stages to the flight itself. This includes mid-flight refuelling and the management of the air force control centre."

The openness with which the exercises were publicised was duly noted. In advance of talks scheduled next week in Geneva between Iranian officials and representatives of the P5+1 forum (United States, UK, China, Russia, France and Germany),Channel Ten commented "The Israeli message was clear... Here is an attempt to show the world that, a moment before the talks, Israel is not giving up its military option." In this morning's Maariv, Likud MK Tzachi Hanegbi, who is considered a close ally of Prime Minister Netanyahu said that Israel is capable of dealing with Iran's nuclear threat on its own and should not rely solely on assurances given by US President Obama.


source
bicom.org .uk

Israel to have six V-22s by end of 2014?

Reports from Israel are suggesting that the Defence Force there could have as many as six V-22 Ospreys by the end of 2014. Local defence sources reached this conclusion through assessment of negotiations with manufacturer JV Bell-Boeing. 

The tilt rotors are quoted as being part of a bigger specialist military aid package, aimed at maintaining Israel's continued technological superiority.

The package is said to include a armaments for the a new radar system for F-16s and armaments for the F-35 fighter. Israel is expected to be the only Middle Eastern country to operate the F-35, with first deliveries expected in 2016.

helihub.com

How the Israeli Lion might strike at Iran



An Israeli attack would have to cope with a variety of problems

For all the myriad challenges facing Israel over the past decade it is the potential threat from a nuclear-armed Iran that has preoccupied the country's military planners.

It is this that in large part has guided the development of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) over recent years.
The IAF has purchased 125 advanced F-15I and F-16I warplanes, equipped with Israeli avionics and additional fuel tanks - tailor-made for long-range strike missions.

In addition, Israel has bought specialised bunker-busting munitions; developed large, long-endurance, unmanned aircraft; and much of its training has focused on long-range missions.

Israel has in the past defended herself by getting in first, so-to-speak, before others got in before her.

In June 1981, Israeli jets bombed the Osirak reactor near the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

More recently, in September 2007, Israeli warplanes attacked a facility in Syria that Israel, the US and many experts proved was a nuclear reactor under construction.

However, a potential strike against Iran would be nothing like the attacks in Iraq and Syria. These were both against single targets, located above ground, and came literally out of the blue.

An Israeli attempt to severely damage Iran's nuclear programme would have to cope with a variety of problems, including range, the multiplicity of targets, and the nature of those targets.
Many of these problems are daunting in themselves, but when put together, they only compound the difficulties facing Israeli military planners.

How to get there?

For a start it is a very long way from Israel to Iran. As a rough estimate many of the potential targets are some 1,500km (930 miles) to 1,800km (1,120 miles) from Israeli bases. Israeli warplanes have to get to Iran and, equally important, get back.

At least three routes are possible.

• There is the northern one where Israeli jets would fly north and then east along the borders between Turkey and Syria, and then Turkey and Iraq
• The central, more likely route would take Israeli warplanes over Iraq. With the US military gone, the Iraqi authorities are far less able to monitor and control their air space, effectively opening a door to an Israeli incursion
• The third, southern route would take Israeli jets over Saudi air space. Would the Saudis turn a blind eye to such a move given their own concerns about Iran's nuclear 
• programme? Could this route be used by Israeli aircraft on the return leg of their journey? We just do not know

"Israeli aircraft," he says, "need not just to get in and out of Iranian air space; they need to have enough fuel to provide time over their targets and they need sufficient fuel to cover any contingencies that might arise during the mission."

The initial tanking, Mr Barrie says, might be done over the Mediterranean or even in Israeli airspace. "One option," he notes, "would be to take off with a full bomb load and drop tanks containing additional fuel; to climb to cruising altitude and then at this point to replenish their tanks, before setting course for their targets in Iran."

Israel is believed to have between eight and 10 large tankers based on the commercial Boeing 707 airframe, but experts believe that tanking capacity will prove one of the limiting factors in the scope of any operation.

What targets to hit?

The problems of range, the nature of some of the targets, and the availability of tanker

aircraft will determine the nature and scope of any Israeli operation.  Douglas Barrie, of the IISS, says that "Israeli planners will be looking for where they can do most damage with the limited number of platforms at their disposal".

"They'll be asking where the main choke points are in the Iranian programme. Clearly, striking enrichment facilities makes a lot of sense from a military point of view," he adds.

So the uranium enrichment facilities at Natanz, south of Tehran, and Fordo, near the holy city of Qom, would almost certainly be prominent on the target list.
The heavy-water production plant and heavy-water reactor under construction at Arak, in the west, might also figure, as would the uranium conversion facility at Isfahan.

It is unclear whether Israel would have the capacity to strike a range of other targets associated with Iran's missile programmes and explosives testing.

But this target list raises another set of problems. The enrichment facilities at Natanz are underground and the new plant at Fordo is buried deeply into the side of a mountain.

Can Israel destroy buried targets?

For an attack like this, says Douglas Barrie, you need good intelligence information. "You need to know", he says, "about the geography of the target site; its geology; the nature of the earth; and the details of the design and construction of any buried reinforced concrete chambers."
"You can assume," he asserts, "that the Americans and the Israelis have been watching these sites closely over time."

To reach buried targets you need special kinds of munitions. Deeply-buried facilities are not exclusive to the Middle East. There is a kind of race between the diggers and the weapons designers and it is one where the Americans have considerable experience.

The main weapon in Israel's arsenal is the US-supplied GBU-28. This is a 5,000lb (2,268kg) laser-guided weapon with a special penetrating warhead. For an assessment of its capabilities I turned to Robert Hewson, the editor of IHS Jane's Air-Launched Weapons.

"The GBU-28," he told me, "is the largest penetrating weapon available for a tactical aircraft and, since it was first used by the US in 1991, it has been improved with better warheads and more accurate guidance.

"However, Israel's use of this weapon would be hindered by several key operational factors. 

Realistically, the F-15I - the only delivery platform - can carry only one bomb, so a sizeable attack force would be required - demanding tanker and other support assets that Israel does not have in large numbers.

"The target would have to be attacked from relatively close range, meaning any attacking force will have to fight its way in and out of heavily-contested airspace."

Furthermore, he says that "very accurate targeting data is required to use a weapon like GBU-28 to best effect".

"The potential for success of a GBU-28 attack is not determined by the 'book' performance of the weapon alone."

Of course, the great unknown question is how capable these weapons would be against buried Iranian enrichment facilities at Natanz and Fordo.

1. The bombs are carried by Israeli F-15Is - but only one per aircraft, which would mean a large attack force for multiple attempts on numerous targets

2. Bomb is released almost vertically over the target, and guided by lasers

3. The bombs can penetrate up to 6m of concrete or about 30.5m of earth before detonating the 4,400lb warhead

Mr Hewson says that the GBU-28 is "effective against any hardened or deeply buried target - up to a point".

"For a weapon like the GBU-28, velocity and angle of impact determine the penetrating effect, so the ideal drop is made from high altitude at maximum speed and hits the target at a near vertical angle," he explains.

"This is less easy to do against a cave or mountainside, so the weapon will be less effective - but still more effective than pretty much any other available munitions."

Indeed, as Douglas Barrie notes, one weapon might be insufficient.

"You could", he says, "attempt to 'dig your way in' using several weapons on the same impact area to try to get through the soil, rock and concrete. Or you could try to block access to the facility by destroying tunnel entrances.

"In addition," he says, "all of these facilities are power hungry, so you could attempt to destroy power supplies and any buried cabling.

"The aim would be to present the Iranians with a compound problem of blocked entrances, no power and collapsed underground chambers."


Does Israel have other military options?

So far we have discussed only the known elements of Israel's capabilities, mainly US-supplied aircraft and munitions. But Israel has a hugely advanced aerospace and electronics industry of its own and this may well have produced systems relevant for an attack against Iran.

Douglas Barrie says that there is much about Israel's capabilities, especially its home-grown technology, that we do not know.

"Israel's long-range Heron or Eitan drone could be used to gather an assessment of the damage done by any strikes, but perhaps could also be put to use helping to spoof air defences," he adds.

"Indeed, this kind of deception or cyber-operation will likely be an integral part of the mission with the aim of blinding radars or generating a false picture of what was going on."


What about Iran's air defences?

Iran's air defences are largely Russian-supplied systems familiar to Israeli pilots, though Iran also deploys the US-built Hawk system dating back to the days of the Shah.

Some of its most capable defences are Russian SA-5 missiles intended to target high-altitude threats, while it also deploys the mobile Tor-M1/SA-15 Gauntlet system optimised to engage targets at lower level.

Russia has consistently refused to supply Iran with the much more capable S-300 long-range system, though the Iranians claim to have procured some batteries elsewhere.

Iran's surface-to-air missile force may be old but still represents a threat. Look at how much effort Nato and the US put into taking down Libya's similar vintage air defences last year.
Israel will not have the time or the resources to embark upon this kind of protracted air campaign and thus the electronic element of any strike to suppress Iranian defences is likely to be as important as the actual dropping of weapons.

Israel's submarine force could potentially play a role here too. Douglas Barrie says that "there must be a reasonable assumption that Israel has an operational sea-launched cruise missile capability based upon their German-built Dolphin submarines".

"These could be used to go after older but capable SA-5 air defence sites and big search and surveillance radars."

But, he notes: "Adding a naval dimension complicates the co-ordination of any attack."
Iran's air force is seen by experts as being totally outclassed by its Israeli counterpart.

It has a small number of US-built F-14 Tomcat fighters and a significant number of relatively more modern Russian-supplied MiG-29s.

But the potential threat from Iranian aircraft again complicates Israeli planning and any air-to-air combat might place additional strains on the limited fuel supplies carried by the attacking aircraft.


Would an Israeli strike succeed?

Most experts agree that Israel could hit multiple targets in Iran and do considerable damage to its nuclear programme. They would, however, do much less damage than a full-scale US attack using all of the resources at Washington's disposal.

The Israelis would be operating at the very limits of their capabilities. "If they pulled it off," says Douglas Barrie, "it would be an impressive display of power projection against a difficult and dispersed set of targets."

Only a few days ago, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of staff, Gen Martin Dempsey, said that an Israeli attack would not be prudent.

Such a strike, he said, "would be destabilising and would not achieve their long-term objectives".

However Israel's calculus is very different. Knowing all their operational limitations, might they launch such an operation anyway?
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Watch: The New and Improved IAF United Hercules Squadron in Action

The C-130 Hercules fleet is an essential strategic asset to the State of Israel with a long legacy including many operations, the most famous of which is Operation Entebbe. 

The Elephant Squadron and the Yellow Bird Squadron, which united as one Hercules squadron, are both veteran squadrons flying the C-130 Hercules for over 40 years through many successful operations.

It’s a development that was set in motion years ago, a significant process of combining air force powers.

Watch the sortie across the entire southern region of Israel, which proved the successful union between the two Hercules squadrons into one big squadron.