Operation Noah (commando raid)

Operation Noah was a codename for a commando raid conducted by the Israeli Navy's Shayetet 13 (Flotilla 13) special forces unit on the night of April 9-10, 1973, during the War of Attrition. The target was a complex of buildings near Beirut, Lebanon, belonging to the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

The primary objectives of Operation Noah were to assassinate key PLO leaders and destroy infrastructure used by the organization for planning and carrying out terrorist attacks against Israel. The specific targets included buildings used for planning operations, arms depots, and communication centers.

The operation involved the landing of commandos via Zodiac boats on the Lebanese coast. They then infiltrated Beirut dressed in civilian clothes. Several separate teams targeted different locations simultaneously to maximize the operation's impact and minimize the risk of alerting the entire city.

The raid resulted in the deaths of several high-ranking PLO officials, including Muhammad Youssef al-Najjar (Abu Youssef), Kamal Adwan, and Kamal Nasser. It also resulted in the destruction of significant PLO infrastructure.

Operation Noah was controversial due to the civilian casualties that occurred during the raid. While Israel maintained that it targeted only PLO personnel and installations, the operation took place in a densely populated urban area, inevitably leading to collateral damage.

The operation had both immediate and long-term consequences. In the short term, it significantly disrupted the PLO's operational capabilities and intelligence gathering. In the long term, it further escalated tensions between Israel and the PLO and contributed to the cycle of violence in the region. The raid also led to increased security measures by the PLO and other Palestinian organizations.