08/08/2020
The MIG-21 fighter jet was the most advanced Soviet-built military aircraft of the 1960s and was commonly used by Arab air forces and Soviet allies in Asia, making it the main threat to western air forces at that time. Accordingly, the Israeli Air Force and intelligence establishments had long sought to obtain an MIG-21. On August 16, 1966, Iraqi fighter pilot Munir Redfa, escorted by two Israeli Mirage jets, landed an Iraqi Air Force MIG -21 at the Hatzor Air Force Base in Israel. Known as Operation Diamond, the plan to recover a functional MIG-21 fighter jet began in 1963. Initially, the Mossad attempted an operation in Egypt, but this plan backfired.The second attempt to recover a MIG-21 took place in Iraq, and also failed. Following a tip from an Iraqi-born Jew, the Mossad reached out to Iraqi Christian fighter pilot Munir Redfa. Redfa was personally disillusioned because of the poor treatment he endured as a Christian in the Iraqi military. He was especially angry at being forced to attack Iraqi-Kurdish targets. After secretly visiting Israel to view the airfield where he would be landing, engaging in numerous briefings with Israeli Air Force personnel, and receiving a secured plan to remove his family from Iraq, Redfa defected with his MIG-21.
The enigmatic Mossad intelligence service conducted the greatest missions of the Israeli Secret Service. Since its establishment, the Mossad has been involved in special operations and activity in the service of the State of Israel, and is a key factor in the war against terror directed at Jewish an...
