Behind Enemy Lines – Raid on Entebbe 


The Miracle of OPERATION THUNDERBOLT

Sassy Reuven, a veteran of the Israel Defense Special Operation Forces. 
During the terror-filled years of 1973-1976 Sassy served in the IDF's elite "Red Beret" paratrooper unit. He participated in several covert operations in Israel's mighty struggle against Arab terrorism.

In July of 1976, Sassy participated in the famed Entebbe counter-terrorist hostage-rescue mission code named "Operation Thunderbolt", flying thousands of miles over enemy territory to rescue Jewish hostages being held by terrorists in Uganda.

A week earlier, on 27 June, an Air France plane was hijacked, by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the German Revolutionary Cells, and flown to Entebbe, the main airport of Uganda. More than 100 Israeli and Jewish passengers remained as hostages and were threatened with death.

Israeli transport planes carried 100 commandos over 2,500 miles (4,000 km) to Uganda for the rescue operation, which took place at night. The operation lasted 90 minutes. 106 hostages were rescued. Five Israeli commandos were wounded and one, Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, was killed. All the hijackers, three hostages and 45 Ugandan soldiers were killed.


Sassy will share his personal experience, step-by-step from the moment he was called to duty, including the preparation for the mission, landing in Uganda & completing the mission behind enemy lines.

His story is Israel's story: of courage, endurance, defiance and a willingness to sacrifice it all for the right to live in your homeland in freedom.