[Music] He is the master terrorist behind dozens of murderous attacks on innocent civilians. [Music] His hands are covered with Jewish blood. As far as Israel's concerned, he was an arch terrorist. There is no choice but to take him out. Tasked with the operation is Israel's elite special forces unit. Sarah Matk is nothing short of legendary or mythical. But with their target hiding in an enemy nation 1500 m from Israel, this will be one of the most ambitious operations ever mounted. You go in, you kill him, you go out. Perfect assassination. This is the true story of the sireette Matt Cowl mission to kill. Abu Jiad. [Music] [Music] Just [Music] one. In the dead of night, three terrorists infiltrate the Israeli border. [Music] This was a raid by uh Palestinians. They armed themselves from a secret weapons cache that the PLO had in Egypt. Carrying AK-47s, they evade the Israeli border patrols. They crossed Israel's southern Negv desert. Their presence remains a secret until when they reach a remote desert road. [Music] They hijack a passing car. Israeli intelligence receive reports about the car hijacking. They now know armed gunmen are on the loose inside Israel, but they have no idea what their target is. This uh triggered an enormous security alert in southern Israel. Roadblocks were put up. An hour later, the gunman's car is cited approaching a high security area. It was not far from Deona, which is the site of Israel's nuclear reactor. It becomes clear that the terrorists are planning to attack the Deona reactor, Israel's most important military facility. Yes, the one where Israel has nuclear weapons but has never admitted that they have nuclear weapons. With the top secret facility at risk, army units race to intercept the terrorists before they can reach their target. Realizing that Israeli forces are closing down on them, the Palestinians suddenly change their plans. The group kidnapped a bus that was bringing workers from the demon nuclear reactor back home. Some of the passengers managed to escape, but 11 are [Music] trapped. 10 are women. Israeli security forces surround the bus and try to negotiate with the terrorists. But the gunmen are not interested in negotiating. Then they turn their weapons on the hostages. Now the security forces have to go in. You know from here if you're not going to respond more people going to die. First they get into [Music] position. Then they strike. In a matter of seconds, Israeli soldiers take over the bus, killing all three of the terrorists. [Music] But quick as they are, they are not fast enough. Three of the workers at the Deona plant were killed. Two of the victims are young mothers. It becomes known as the mother's bus attack. Even in a nation used to terrorism, this is still a shocking act. The Deona bus attack was different from what was going on. This one was such a horrific attack that uh targeted not only innocent people but mothers and women. That's really was the most raw nerve in Israel. But even as the mourers gather, Israeli intelligence agencies have already identified the man behind the attack. The man they are after is Abu Jiad. In Arabic, Abu Jahiad means father of the struggle. The Israelis know that this is a title used by a leading Palestinian commander. Abu Jiad is a nom like a lot of Palestinian names. His real name is Khalil Wazir. Abu Jihad is the legendary militant commander of the the PLO in the Palestinian organization. Of course, he was admired as one of their top leaders. He is the number two man in the Palestinian Liberation Organization and heads its military wing. Abu Jiad was in charge of operation of Al Fat. Under Abu Jahad's command, Al Fata have undertaken dozens of attacks on Israel. He had organized and planned some quite significant Palestinian actions. Innocent people have been killed, often in brutal circumstances. As far as Israel's concerned, he was an arch terrorist. Abu Jihad was a very dangerous man. Abu Jahiad is such a threat to Israel that for 20 years they have been trying to take him out. The hunt for Abu Jihad was conducted throughout the years. There were numerous attempts on his life. All of them failed. Israeli military intelligence first tried to kill Abu Jahad in Damascus with a car bomb. They missed. A decade later, the Israeli Air Force tried to kill him in an air strike on Beirut. But again, he walked away. The mother's bus attack is proof that the master terrorist has reared his head once more. But the threat he poses may be worse than just terrorism. The Israelis believe that Abu Jahad is also behind the biggest challenge to their authority that they have ever faced. For 3 months, the Palestinian population of Israel has been in revolt. There was this uprising against their rule. There were large crowds of people, often young people, throwing stones at Israeli forces. had elements of an armed uprising. Its military was in the West Bank dealing with a wide array of uh of protest. It has become known as the interard, the uprising and Israel believes that the hand that controls it is Abu Jahad's. He claimed responsibility for the outbreak of the Palestinian inif. He said, "I was the one ordering the troops, ordering the demonstrators to go to the street. [Music] Israel cannot allow the insurrection to continue." The Inifada caused an enormous international damage to Israeli prestige worldwide. They felt they have to get back at Abu Jihad. They felt that he couldn't be allowed to get away with that. And the man who decides to deal with Abu Jahiad is Yetac Rabbin, Israel's Minister of [Music] Defense, who was basically leading the Israeli intelligence and security forces. Rabin was quite a hardliner. He was a military man through and through. His whole concept of peace was based on the fact that Israel had to be strong and it had to defend itself. He also believed very strongly in targeting those terrorists that were attacking Israelis. Rabbine decides that Israel must kill Abu [Music] Jiad. But immediately Rabbine faces a problem. Abu Jahiad is a long way from Israeli shores. Israeli intelligence have traced Abu Jihad to Tunis, North Africa, 1500 miles from Israel. The city has become the new headquarters for the Palestinian Liberation Organization. That was the the place where the the PLO headquarters was far away from Israel on the coast of Africa. Abujahad and other key Palestinian leaders have homes in a quiet suburb of the Tunisian capital. He lived with his family in a villa in a uh beachside neighborhood of Tunis. Being so far away from Israel, Abujad felt quite confident and safe. He didn't think that Israeli intelligence would be able to get so far so remotely from Israel. But he is wrong. [Music] Abu Jahad is already under the watchful eye of Israel's intelligence service, Mossad. Abad, these people are followed. These people are tracked. They knew where he was. Israel's intelligence agency carried out surveillance of the area of Tunis where Abuji was living along with other PLO [Music] leaders. 4 days after the mother's bus attack, Rabbine orders Mossad to come up with a way to kill Abu Jahad. Initially, the agency is confident that they can do it themselves. They told Defense Minister Rabin that they could come up with an operational plan to assassinate Abu Jihad in Tunisia within 30 days. Mossad come up with various alternatives for killing Abu Jiad, by a sniper, by exploding his car, by planting a booby trap explosive where he was driving from his house to his office. by poisoning him, by uh firing rockets on his house, all sorts of possible operations. But Rabbine rejects them all. None of these options guarantee that Abu Jiad will be killed. With the intera raging, they simply cannot afford to miss. As far as Rabbine is concerned, there is only one way to ensure success. To kill him at point blank range. It was decided that Abu Jiad is going to be killed in his house. But killing the PLO's military commander in his home,500 m from Israel will be no easy task. far harder to target somebody in Tunis than in somewhere that is, you know, 20 minutes flying time or just across one of Israel's borders. And so at the end of the day, Mossad came to Sakabin and said, "We are not able to do this alone." Skilled assassins as they are, getting a hit team inside Abu Jahiad's house without being discovered is beyond even the Mossad. So Rabbine now calls upon a highly secretive special operations brigade famed for their ability to strike at Israel's enemies wherever they may try to hide. When Israel wants to strike, Israeli leaders turn to a special unit of the Israeli military. The immediate candidate to perform the assassination is the general staff reconnaissance unit. But in Israel they are known by another name. In English they are known as the unit but in Hebrew they call them the Sarat Matkal. Sarah Matthk in Israel is nothing short of legendary or mythical. It's essentially the top unit in the army. It's the sort of by word for an elite unit. There are others, but that's the sort of Ken. It's a unit modeled after the British SAS. Seal teams are similar to it. Delta Force is similar to it. Like these other special forces units, the Sireat Matcal are experts at killing people. They're thought of as assassination specialists. They're willing to sacrifice everything for their country. Commandos train intensively in survival skills, marksmanship, and hand-to-hand combat. Their job is to go on special operations that are considered beyond the scope of your regular troops. Only the very best of the Israeli military are recruited into the Sire Mad. You're looking in elite unit for a person that in no time can concentrate and do the things fast. You're looking for a person that will never give up on himself. These men have the reputation for accomplishing things, getting things done. That reputation was cemented by a legendary operation that took place in 1976. Terrorists hijack an Air France plane with more than 100 Israeli and Jewish civilians on board. The plane is diverted to the Ugandan capital Entebe. When Uganda's dictator Idi decides to cooperate with the terrorists, Israel calls on the Sire Madcal. The unit at Matkal took something like a few weeks to train on the model of the airplane to fly to Antbe and to give the right solution for the incident. That solution is for the Sireat Matcal commandos to disguise themselves as members of the Ugandan army. Once on the ground, the unit strikes. They went in there, did a counterterrorist mission over a thousand miles from home, killed the terrorist, got out of there alive. 102 hostages were rescued and returned to Israel with only three civilian casualties. That lightning raid of course became legendary and that was the beginning of their reputation as being a hardcore unit. Rabbine believes there is no other unit better suited for the task of taking out Abu Jiad. So he puts in a call to a man who had been one of the architects of the Entebi mission. He is Israel's most decorated soldier and a living legend. Ehud Barakud Barak was a head of Sarat Matkal, one of the most famous commanders of Seat Matkal. He was in a position then as being a chief of staffer or head of military intelligence. Very serious guy, very smart guy, very sharp guy, very decorated guy. Rabbine orders Barack to draw up a plan for the sireate Matk to assassinate Abu Jiad. It will be known as operation show of force. Now Barack demonstrates one of the hallmarks of the Sire Matcal, meticulous planning. The key will be finding out as much as he can about conditions on the ground. They more than anybody know the importance of intelligence and good intelligence. Despite the distance, if everything was carefully looked at in advance, there was a reasonable chance that they could be able to get away with it. First, Barack has Mosad send more agents to Tunisia. Previously, Mossad had been simply keeping tabs on Abu Jihad. Now, they are tasked with gathering detailed information on his every movement. The Mossad sent people into Tunisia posing as either tourists or business people. Very routine again for the Mossad. They were sent to Tunisia to check all various questions that came from Ser Matk. Posing as Lebanese Arabs, the new team lies with the agents already embedded in Tunis. The agents monitor Abu Jiad's journeys around the city. Israeli intelligence was updated of the tiniest details of Abu Jihad daily uh routine and daily daily schedule. The agents listen in on telephone calls to his home. The Mossad would use electronic means to intercept communications and listen in. So they were confident that they would know when Abu Jihad is at home. Watching and listening to his every move, the Mossad team soon learn the vital information that Barack needs to launch his operation. Who is in the house with Abu Jihad? How the house is built? Who is sleeping in each room? How many guards? How far is the police station? They know the height of the perimeter walls, the types of windows, doors, and locks, the distance between the rooms. They soon know every aspect of the villa's defenses. They know exactly where he is and on what floor of the building and when he goes to sleep and when he comes when he goes and where his bodyguard is going to be [Music] etc. Armed with the intelligence from Mosad back in Israel, Barack begins to draw up plans for the operation. And so Sarat Matkal was starting to plan how to to take out Abu Jihad. The plan Barack develops is to send in a small team of commandos to assault the villa under cover of darkness. But it will only work if it is carefully choreographed. The preparation and planning is the most important thing in a mission for the special forces soldier or the special forces unit. They construct their plan using the detailed Mossad intelligence and they built a small model which is an exact copying of the house. Barack marks out the guard posts and points of entry. They get all their intelligence together and then they have to figure out the best route in to that target. [Music] Different strategies for the assault are debated in order to minimize the risk of failure. The soldiers are smart and they have a lot of experience and if they have a good idea, then the idea is taken and the plan is changed. Once this is agreed, the commandos mark out the exact footprint of the [Music] villa and practice the assault. again and again. That was something that Israeli intelligence and the Sierra Matal commandos frequently did. They never wanted to leave anything to chance. Like every other secret or special operation. You should train. Train for the exact steps for the exact performance of yourself and others and and so on. But expect the unexpected. The next stage is to practice the mission in real conditions. Say Matk asked few people to donate a house in Israel not far away from the beach for rehearsals. houses quite similar to that of Abu Jihad and again and again practice the assault in Israel before embarking on the [Applause] mission. Whilst the commandos are practicing for the assault on the villa, Barack turns his attentions to one outstanding issue. That means getting the commander unit the 1500 miles to Tunisia safely and secretly. All arms of Israeli power would be involved here. Uh the Mossad, uh the military intelligence, the navy, the air force. Barra mobilizes the entire Israeli military. First, the Navy will take the commandos from Israel to Tunisian waters in missile boats. It was a huge arm made of ships, airplanes, cargo ships carrying helicopters. Above them, Barack orders the air force to be ready with an emergency evacuation plan. Small is under the coverage of the air force in order to be evacuated if something really bad happens. It is an almost unprecedented mission in its size and ambition. This was a huge operation. Thousands of soldiers and intelligence officers from the Navy, Mossad, military [Music] intelligence. Having arranged how to get the commandos to Tunisia, Barack now focuses on a very particular problem. The nearest landing beach is 2 and a half miles from the villa. This presents him with two problems. The first is how to get say Matkal to the house and the second was how to get them back safely and alive after the assassination. How can Barack get the team through the Tunisian streets without them being detected by either the Palestinians or the Tunisian police? Bear in mind, Tunisia is a an Arab uh country and not a democratic state. It's a sort of a police state far away from Israel. They have to get there quickly without drawing attention. So, they need an insertion [Music] plan. So, Barack comes up with an ingenious method to get the commandos to and from the villa without being detected. First they will arrange a distraction to clear the area of police. We're expecting local forces to intervene. So you give a notice to the police uh the local police that something [Applause] happens far away on the other side of the city. So everyone is concentrated there. Do you have time to to go? Next, the Mossad agents on the ground will rent cars and drive them to the beachfront. There they will collect the commandos and ferry them to a location near to the villa. Those rented cars were placed on the beach in Tunis uh to make sure that no suspicions would be aroused. The Mossad agents will park the cars near Abu Jahiad's home, but the commandos will have to walk the final few yards to the villa on foot. This is when they will be most exposed. To get them the last few hundred yards, Barack turns to his own experiences. [Music] 15 years earlier, Barack was involved in one of the most remarkable missions in the history of the Sire Mar. The unit was sent into Beirut, the heart of enemy territory. They were sent to kill the men behind the slaughter of 11 Israeli athletes of the Munich Olympics. To infiltrate the city undetected, Barack and the others employed a very unusual disguise. Some of them are dressed as women in order not to distract attention that just a group of men is walking in the street. It's always easier to have men and women together. Their disguises allowed the unit to disperse through the city undetected and launch multiple synchronized attacks. [Music] At the end of that operation, 15 known terrorists were dead. Now, Barack's team will play the same trick in Tunisia in order to get to Abu Jahiad's villa undetected. The Israelis felt that they could do that even in Tunisia, even 1500 miles away. So that playbook was turned to once again. This leaves Barack with one final decision to choose the man to lead the mission. He chooses Nah Lev, the deputy chief of the Cyra Matka. Nakumv his deputy one of the most brave and legendary figures and different figures in the history of Seatkal to lead the operation. Having read all the available intelligence, Lev declares that Abu Jiad is a dead man walking. He said, you know, I read the file on Abu Jihad. I knew how many Jews, how many brother Israelis he killed. I knew that his hands are covered with Jewish blood. He deserved to [Music] die. Lev's task is to be the first man into the villa and to locate Abu Jiad. [Music] Lev and his men now embark on the 1500-mile journey to Tunisian waters. The quarter century chase for Abu Jahiad is almost over. At a military base south of Tel Aviv, a specially adapted passenger jet takes off bound for Tunisia. The Israelis used a electronic warfare aircraft, a converted Boeing. Barack will command the operation from the plane which has been turned into a flying control center. A few hours later, the plane reaches Tunisian airspace. Barack now orders the Mossad team to the beach. The Msad was waiting with the rented cars by the shore, waiting for the Sat Matal people to come [Music] ashore. With the Mossar agents in place, the order is given for the Sire Matcal to land. They are taken ashore by members of Flatillaa 13, Israel's Navy Seals. To minimize sound, commanders row the last few hundred meters to shore. The Israelis landed in the dead of night. They were picked up by the Mossad people. Nobody was there when it came to Tunisian security. Immediately the commandos change into their tourist disguises. They're all changing very quickly. They change their clothes to civilian clothes. Some of them are dressed as women. The whole group uh Mossad, Flotilla 13, and Sad Makala waiting at the beach for the final go ahead. As they wait for a green light, the commandos learn from Barack that there's a problem. Israeli intelligence have intercepted a phone call to Abu Jiad. Someone from the PLO headquarters called Abu Jiad and said that they were warned by apparently a European intelligence service that the Israelis are thinking of killing a PLO senior figure. Barack's fear is that if Abu Jahad suspects he might be the senior figure being targeted, he may flee Tunis immediately. The Israelis were quite afraid that he's going to take this threat seriously. Barra demands a report from the Mossad team watching the villa. Is Abu Jahad at home or has he fled Tunis? The agents report that his Mercedes has been seen arriving at the villa, but they cannot confirm that Abu Jiad was in the car. They saw people going out of Abu Jiad house and getting into the house, but they didn't see their face. While Barack waits to find out where Abu Jiad is, he orders the Mossad agents at the beach to take the Sire Matau to their position near the villa. quite rapidly. They launched the force, the Serkal force from the beach to Abu Jad House. At about 1:00 in the morning, the three vehicles that contained the Israeli commandos went into this neighborhood called City [Music] Busade. One vehicle containing eight Israeli commandos actually went to the front of the house. But Barack still cannot order the commandos to launch their assault. Even after forces left the beach and went on to the house, we still did not have the right assurance to go in. They were waiting there for the final approval of the commanders of the operation that Abu Jihad is indeed at home. These are the actual words from secret radio communications between the units as they wait for the order to proceed. Bogard, this is Richard. I want to tell you it is possible that there are some people who are not sleeping in the office. Okay, Richard, I understand. They use code names and speak in English instead of Hebrew. In case anyone is listening, Israeli commandos were sitting with their Uzi submachine guns and pistols between their legs just waiting for the signal to proceed without absolute certainty that the target is at home. Barack cannot give the order to strike. They assured the minister of defense that they will know for sure that Abu Jad is in the house before launching the assault. It is now that Barack shows the sireate Matal's real quality. He has a backup plan. Israel is famous for being adjustable. We change views. We change our behavior. We change actions according to time and persons involved. That's elite unit. A few days previously, Barack had ordered an operation in the Palestinian territories. They raid a house in Gaza and arrest a distant relative of Abu Jihad, a lawyer. Now in a secret underground basement in Tel Aviv, a call is made to Abu Jahad's villa using a specially diverted line. Something that would look like a phone call from Italy to Abu Jihad's office in his home. Making the call is an Israeli agent who pretends to be a Palestinian, informing Abu Jiad of his relatives arrest. Abu Rama, it was shouting and cursing Abu Jiad. Abu Jihad, you must help. They have arrested Abu Rahma again. This son of a [ __ ] is Zionist. They have arrested Abu Rahma and they are torturing him. Then they hear the voice on the other end of the line. The speaker says, "Who is this? Please calm down. We'll make sure everything is okay. We'll help Abu Ama. Don't don't worry." The agent has to keep the person on the phone talking. Listening in are three Arabic experts who have been trained to recognize Abu Jahad's voice. Clearly, each one of them had to raise his right arm when he's 100% confident that this is Abu Jihad speaking from the other side of the line. As the three soldiers listen to the voice, first one and then another raised their right hands into the air. [Music] Finally, the third hand is raised. It was approved and confirmed and corroborated that Abu Jiad is in the house. Finally, Barack can give the order to strike. Bogard. Bogard. This is Richard. You can leave this station. You can leave this station. Do it fast. I say it again. Do it fast. Lev, the commander of the operation, and another commando, dressed as a woman, begin the final approach to the villa. Disguised as a romantic couple, they walk through the busy streets. Hidden in plain sight, nobody would think twice looking at these guys. Their task to approach the villa undetected and take out the guard on the gate. So there were a pair walking the street carrying a chocolate box. But the innocuous looking chocolate box Lev carries actually conceals a gun. They had a weapon hidden under a box of chocolates. It's not going to be in a holster and it won't be slung around the neck. Lev and his partner now approach the entrance to the villa where the guard is sat in Abu Jahiad's black Mercedes. They uh got close to the driver of Abu Jiad that was still sitting in the car. The woman distracts the guard by asking for directions. They pulled out the map and they wanted to ask him some sort of tourist request. As the guard looks over the map, Lev [Music] acts. Now the other commandos make their move. The eight commandos swiftly assaulted the house. They went to the backyard and came to the door. [Music] It made some noise and Abuja heard it in the upper floor. [Music] Lev and his accomplice concentrate on the stairs that will lead to Abu Jahad. The other team go to take out the remaining bodyguards. With the bodyguards dealt with, Lev and his partner close in on the main target. One of the assassins of Sarat Matal was going up the stairs. A young officer of Sed Mal who was chosen by Nakumv to be the first one to come in. The commando hears someone at the top of the stairs. Is it Abu Jahiad or an innocent member of his family? The commander knows that he will have to identify the target in an instant. The commando reacts [Music] instinctively. And then other people from the unit came and shot Abu Jihad as well. 70 bullets hit Abu Jihad and his right hand which had held the pistol was nearly severed. But as they are firing, Abu Jahiad's wife suddenly appears. Halas. Halas. Stop it. Stop it. Don't you see that he's already dead? But even with everyone's nerves on edge, discipline holds. Even when the unexpected happened, the wife did not get hurt. We will avoid shooting even on the expense of getting hurt. Instead, Lev orders her to face the wall. And with Abu Jiad confirmed dead, the commandos depart. Once it was finished, they rushed into the cars, back to the beach, back to the boats, [Music] and the entire operation has been accomplished in a matter of minutes. At dawn, when the Tunisian investigators and a PLO team went out to see what happened, all they found were the three rented vehicles and footprints on the sand. As the commandos journey back to Israel, they know that even by their own high standards, operation show of force is an outstanding achievement. Abu Jihad, who as far as the Israelis were concerned was the main planner of the Inifatada they were out to stop, was [Music] dead. But the mission hadn't been quite flawless. Despite all the intelligence gathered, there was something they had missed. At the time of the raid, Abujahad's gardener was sleeping in the basement of the [Music] villa. This innocent man had been killed alongside Abujahad's bodyguards. Soon, news of the operation reaches Israel. When the uh the troops were on their way home, it was already published that someone killed Abu Jihad in his house. Israel has never formally admitted to killing Abu Jiad, but there's there was never really any doubt about it, but there is a strange twist to this tale. The news of Abu Jiad's death does not have the effect Rabbine had hoped for. It's all very well being clever at killing Palestinian leaders, but the PLO didn't disappear. Uh the inifard didn't stop. In fact, the violence gets worse. News of Abu Jahiad's death triggers the bloodiest day of protests since the interfa began. And in a bizarre development, the Israelis learned that despite his claims, Abu Jahad had never had anything to do with the Interif. In fact, he was lying. He didn't know that the Inifada is going to break up. He owed the PLO. And they sort of jumped on the wagon after it started, claimed responsibility for something that they had none involvement whatsoever. And the reaction of Israelis wasn't what Rabbine had expected either. There was quite a lot of comment in Israel that well this was brilliantly executed mission by our boys. At the end of the day, did it make much difference in the big picture? Not really. But one difference it did make was to the career of the man in charge of the operation, Ehood Barak. It's hard to overstate what a legendary career he's had. In the years after the Tunisian mission, Barack was made chief of the general staff. And in 1999, the Israeli people showed their admiration for the sireat Matal when they elected this former leader of the unit to become Israeli prime minister. The Israeli public though it doesn't know much about precisely what Sarat Madal has done. Well, the Israeli public knows that it's a trustworthy group of men who get things done. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music]