When Israel Stole Its Own Missile Boats from France

With a French arms embargo preventing the export of much needed Sa'ar class missile boats to Israel, retired-Rear Admiral Mordechai Limon, head of Israel’s Defence Mission in Paris pulls off an outrageous deceit. Israeli sailors will steal their own vessels from the French port of Cherbourg and sail them all the way to Israel. But how did Limon pull off the great deception of the French Government?
Source List
The Boats of Cherbourg by Abraham Rabinovich
Jane's fighting ships 1972-73 by Raymond V. B. Blackman,
Jane's fighting ships 1973-74 by Captain John E. Moore
Evron, Yair. “French Arms Policy in the Middle East.” The World Today, vol. 26, no. 2, 1970, pp. 82-90. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40394348.
Heimann, Gadi. “From ‘Irresponsible’ to ‘Immoral’: The Shifts in de Gaulle’s Perception of Israel and the Jews.” Journal of Contemporary History, vol. 46, no. 4, 2011, pp. 897-919. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/41305364.
Aruri, Naseer H., and Natalie Hevener. “France and the Middle East, 1967-1968.” Middle East Journal, vol. 23, no. 4, 1969, pp. 484-502. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/4324512. Accessed 22 Aug. 2022.
discovery.nationalarchives.go...
discovery.nationalarchives.go...
France Israel - Vessels - Cherbourg ships From : 26/07/1965 Until : 23/03/1969 reference : 2208/1999 record number : 50 ==
Procurement and supply procurement Yam - Steel - the contract ( Cherbourg ship ) SAMT From : 26/07/1965 Until : 31/07/1965 reference : 402/2005 record number : 153 ==
Operation Noah-ships Cherbourg the map and the slide were transferred to the map collection in the archive and numbered: 55636. From : 29/12/1969 Until : 11/01/1970 reference : 440/1973 record number : 72

[@hipfirehippie3474]

The fact that the French public supported the operation not only because they supported Israel, but because it "showed that their own government is criminally inept" is the Frenchiest thing ever.

[@timmccarthy9917]

And then they rioted

[@JuBa347]

THIS ! the french people and the french governement are always divided . But in this case ... I dont even vote , that show you how i trust the "représentation" nationale .

[@frenchouiaboo816]

i'm French, i hate my governement, simple as

[@nicholaswalsh4462]

This is why France has had five republics in only 200 years.

[@stevep5408]

That plus all militarial industrial complexes need to be fed!

[@05TE]

Israeli official in a trench coat and fake mustache: "Hello, I am Norwegian. I would like to..." French official: "Just take the damned boats."

[@skyden24195]

😊😄😆

[@chrissi.enbyYT]

"You have done nothing illegal [yet, but I dont care, have fun]"

[@slypear]

Now this is the movie adaptation I would love to see. Pity that Peter Sellers could not play a cameo Clouseau role~

[@unbreakable7633]

I'm still laughing at that one.

[@unbreakable7633]

@@slypear Great idea.

[@ItayM]

Fun fact - The French government hurt their own military industries more than they hurt Israel. That doctrine of embargo made France lose Billions of dollars - Before the embargo Israel relied mostly on French weaponry and aircraft featuring the Mirage. Afterwards, Israel went to US made aircraft leading to a world decrease in French made weapons.

[@eurybaric]

Advanced weaponry like aircraft and missles are very high visibility to the public. And i feel decisions on what to buy is really affected by who's using them and how well they've done. So yeah, having mirages fight migs in the desert was definitely a good thing for french industry.They did sell a lot during that time (war of attrition). In general, very weird, inconsistent, and contradictive policy decions by the West since...

[@kayzeaza]

Unfortunately the west is obsessed with making the Middle East like then so they do things against their interest

[@MattH-wg7ou]

Instead Israel has been putting many variants of the F15 to great use, massively contributing to the outstanding record and reputation of the King of the Skies F15. They also have put F16s and now F35s to good use. The Rafale is a great jet, no doubt. But despite all the hate it gets, much of it programmatic and justified, the F35 is truly outstanding when you actually understand it's role and the mindset shift required to fully implement 5th gen jets. It really is a gamechanger in fighter aviation. That thing is an absolute unit.

[@abdiganiaden]

As if Israel was biggest customer. Middle East alone was far bigger customer which is exactly why France chose to not aggravate many customers for 1.

[@Einwetok]

@@abdiganiaden You'd think they'd learn. Israel's the reason the riddled east has to keep buying weapons, they all keep losing to them, every time they get involved, even through terrorists and state obstructionism..

[@mattj.7756]

“Bon Voyage” from the British Commander made me laugh so damn hard. It’s hilarious to know that everyone knew about it except for those who shouldn’t have, and in the end, the plan worked out nearly flawlessly.

[@jonathanstrong4812]

SHEEH PRETTY SNEAKY DEVILS THESE ISRAEL GUYS ARE THESE GRIFTERS PAR EXCELLENCE

[@INSANESUICIDE]

That the brits let them sail of is insane, they must have forgotten the multiple times Israel killed and attacked the British, just like they attacked the US and pretty much any other ally, Israel is a rabid dog that cannot be trusted, let them survive on their own in the middle east.

[@Fly-gn7ou]

People forget the french government did that for Lebanon and Palestine. Isreal took the opportunity to during Christmas because they knew there was no guard at night time when they stole it. That's was the most shameful situation for france at this time. and of course they help by some jewish officer in the french army....

[@apveening]

@@Fly-gn7ou And that can be considered pay-back for Dreyfus.

[@ossian108]

​@@Fly-gn7ou:D What is Palestine?

[@liberator235]

That “Bon Voyage” from the Brits had a lot of historical beef behind it. Gotta love it! lolol

[@speedydb55]

It's such a perfect example of British humor.

[@liberator235]

@@speedydb55I can picture the Admiralty staff looking out their posts Pointing and laughing for the entire transit. lol The French are the last people the British will snitch for lolol

[@ricardokowalski1579]

Laughs in bravo zulu

[@Cancoillotteman]

@@liberator235 it's fair game for sure ! We never stop at a chance to laugh at our overseas colony from England either :)

[@estellemelodimitchell8259]

It took them just 15mins to figure out what the 5 ships were while the French were still in the dark

[@HH-pm6mj]

I swear Israel always comes up with the most daring and insane but somehow successful operations in human history.

[@piepiedog1]

If you like this kind of thing, read "Rise and Kill First". It covers "targeted killings" by Israeli (and proto-Israeli) intelligence. The author supposedly conducted 1000+ interviews to write it. Obviously it's impossible to write an unbiased book on such a subject, but regardless of stance I think most people will find it incredibly interesting due to the absolutely absurd and brazen operations that took place.

[@eyelessclowned]

​@@piepiedog1Nah, it's just the Jewish connections literally everywhere

[@54032Zepol]

They are a nation of God's chosen people

[@tunguska2370]

The boat is left unguarded, the French literally just left it there

[@MattH-wg7ou]

​@@piepiedog1 sounds interesting I'll have to check that out!

[@pablopablo3834]

The fact that most French people were just as happy as the British that their government got fucked over is enough to give you that warm feeling inside.

[@AmongUs-sy5ct]

French people are sick. France should have launched a naval invasion of Israel in response. Israeli grossly invaded France

[@nicholaswalsh4462]

Honestly I'm pretty sure the only thing French people hate more than their own government is older French governments.

[@karlheinzvonkroemann2217]

That Urgun terrorist attack on the King David Hotel just brought a soft smile to the lips of the average Brit too didn't it?

[@englishalan222]

Actually, more people in the UK have negative views on Israel than positive ones. Something like 60%

[@MrLeovdmeer]

@@englishalan222 That is because al the foreign people in de UK

[@elcastorgrande]

France ruined a wonderful chance to advertise their defense industry's capabilities. "Our ships are so good buyers will go to any lengths to get them."

[@jeandelacroix6726]

La Combattante class (II and III mostly) were quite popular small patrol boats

[@dapanda2068]

The amout of individual people who willfully turned a blind eye is amazing

[@jamesbulldogmiller]

It reminds me of the movie Casa Blanca , Vichy Captain Renault .

[@karlheinzvonkroemann2217]

There was a lot of turning a blind eye to Israeli activity in the USA centering around nuclear espionage too. Both of nuclear materials and of technologies. Grant F Smith has two books out about that stuff that are very eye opening indeed. They had cover both externally and internally from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. From Politicians and Bureaucrats and they still do today. These people get away with murder - ALL the time.

[@outis7080]

Nobody likes screwing the French over more than the French.

[@RCAvhstape]

@@jamesbulldogmillerThere is piracy? I'm shocked!

[@RCAvhstape]

@@binder946Oh boy, let's hear your totally-not-antisemitic theory on that.

[@SevPlays]

That toast was the history of France and Britain in a nutshell.

[@NickJohnCoop]

To reference Yes Minister, they’v been enemies for the last 800 years.

[@JeepWranglerIslander]

The most British reply they could have possibly given.

[@Fly-gn7ou]

People forget the french government did that for Lebanon and Palestine. Isreal took the opportunity to during Christmas because they knew there was no guard at night time when they stole it. That's was the most shameful situation for france at this time. and of course they help by some jewish officer in the french army....

[@danielpetrucci8952]

Mers El Kabir 😂

[@free-gj2cz]

Good prevails over evil and deceit. Good job Israel👍🏻

[@valentinloew]

To out-bureaucrat the french administration is one hell of a performance. As a Frenchman I can only applaud ^^

[@prjw73]

I suspect this was the only way for the French to hand over the vessels to Israel without alienating their Middle Eastern allies.

[@dogsnads5634]

Just like the 'Israeli built' Nesher were in fact full Mirage V parts kits direct from France....

[@charlesayache6801]

But the certainly would' nt like to have made fool of themselves...so no way they les it happen... at the top.

[@Fly-gn7ou]

People forget the french government did that for Lebanon and Palestine. Isreal took the opportunity to during Christmas because they knew there was no guard at night time when they stole it. That's was the most shameful situation for france at this time. and of course they help by some jewish officer in the french army....

[@Planet_Xplorer]

@@Fly-gn7ou Absolutely!!

[@charlesayache6801]

@@Fly-gn7ou Why rewrite history?

[@nymalous3428]

I really like those French officials that, when they learned of the deception, turned a blind eye, or even facilitated the operation in their own small way. Also, that "bon voyage" by the British commander in Gibraltar was a very classy way of letting them know that he knew what they were doing.

[@Melio00]

I burst out laughing when the "bon voyage" line came up.

[@MajesticDemonLord]

I mean - What is a more noble and ancient British past-time than winding up the French?

[@gordonspicer]

This was only a few years after Suez when Eisenhower pulled the plug which eventually caused the loss of Algeria and the fall of the Shah of Iran not the mention their respective loss of influence. He later said it was his worst decisions. Relations between the forces of UK, France & Israel had during and after the campaign been very cordial

[@pwp8737]

collaboration is an old French habit

[@bremnersghost948]

@@MajesticDemonLord Indeed, Feels wrong calling the Frogs Allies.

[@joshtaylor8209]

Certainly not the first time nor the last time the French Government will be described as "ciminally inept."

[@Fronzel41]

These days they are perhaps adeptly criminal

[@robertbrodie5183]

they are consistent 😅😅😅😅😅

[@notmenow3497]

To be fair they always had a lively democracy aka chaos

[@amazer747]

The British govt says "hold my beer"

[@krom26]

The sinking of the Rainbow Warrior comes to mind.

[@kilotun8316]

This was bloody hilarious! As a navy man myself, I think the ONLY way the Israeli's could've done this better was if they came into port flying Jolly Rogers. Also wonderful that the Royal Navy were able to capitalize on the situation for a morale boost. Finally, let's hear it for the French government, who, can still rightly claim, "But you must know, the French Government never know what French security are doing!"

[@wfb.subtraktor311]

Yes, nothing like violating international law so you can continue to commit warcrimes in a neighbouring country under your fascist apartheid regime. Israel is so great and can never do anything wrong because that would be antisemitic to suggest.

[@Cancoillotteman]

The fact half the French government too wanted those ships gone might have helped out ^^

[@daveweiss5647]

​@wfb.subtraktor311 it is possible to dislike a nation's politics but still respect military exploits their forces engaged in. I have a lot of issues with Isreal and their lobby/supporters in my country. But I definitely recognize that the IDF has pulled off some amazing operations that most militaries couldn't even dream of. (Yes and also some horrific crimes like the USS Liberty) at the end of the day they are willing to go to any length for their country, which I think most people expect from their military.

[@obsidianjane4413]

@@wfb.subtraktor311 cry more.

[@adrianprigl7740]

Omg, yes prime minister reference spotted in the wild🤗 I am so happy😊

[@The_ZeroLine]

*_The difference between legal and illegal could be no wider than a lawyer’s comma and, in the circumstances, might be wide enough to drive a missile-boat squadron through._* 🤣

[@AYVYN]

It is essential to the idea of a law, that it be attended with a punishment for disobedience.

[@riccardob7774]

Looks a lot like when the Savoy Kingdom “forgot” boats and weapons in Genova for the “independent” Garibaldini to steal and go to Sicily to start Italy Reunification.

[@guillaumefigarella1704]

So true, great reference

[@winzyl9546]

What

[@zacharyzier314]

I certainly hope that French customs officer got a job as a spy, the dude didn’t miss a thing.

[@riskinhos]

there were no customs officers. france was surrounded by EU countries.

[@guillaumefigarella1704]

@@riskinhos So the Rome treaty is not the start of the EU, it's the Maastricht (the TFUE) treaty, of 1992 meaning in 1969 EU does not exist, Schengen was applied in 1995 so there absolutely was french customs

[@dougerrohmer]

@@riskinhosIf you arrive in France from Israel, you'll pass through customs even if the aeroplane flew over the entire European continent.

[@riskinhos]

@@dougerrohmer no shit sherlock

[@riskinhos]

@@guillaumefigarella1704 you must be retarded if you think EU was created in 1992.

[@shturm602]

The story of Israel's embargoed Mirage V jets is also pretty damn crazy. At one point Israeli pilots were still permitted to fly training missions. In a nutshell, they told the French that they were planning on flying a long "training" mission over the Mediterranean and politely asked for some long range fuel tanks for this. The French caught on and refused. In the end, Israel managed to reverse engineer the jets, including by convincing an engineer at the plant producing spare parts for the Swiss Air Force's Mirages to straight up send blueprints for the engines.

[@s.marcus3669]

Yes, it would make for a very good movie, as long as Hollywood doesn't fuck it up with Woke ideology....

[@dmoney8602]

No one likes you

[@vega3123]

@@s.marcus3669 Mirage V, not the Mirage III. The Mirage III was bought in the 1960s, post the 1967 war, France put an arms embargo. That arms embargo did not allow the Israelis to buy Mirage V aircraft. The history behind how Israel got the Mirage V, renamed Nesher in Israeli service, is a mystery but the story you responded too is one of the Mirage V and not Mirage III.

[@s.marcus3669]

@@vega3123 My mistake; I was thinking of the IV; the big delta Mach 2 bomber which Israel was never interested in. Thanks for the correction!

[@vega3123]

@@s.marcus3669 No problem! Mistakes like this happen when all aircraft are named the same lol

[@JWZ44]

They paid for it, both signed a bindinf contract. Its their right to take whats theirs

[@michaelsaayman2802]

When I was in the South African Navy we had received 3 Sa'ar 4 or Reshef class fast patrol boats. These were built by Israel at the Haifa shipyard but based on those original four from France. At the time South Africa also had a arms embargo and could not procure ships from France. Once delivered South Africa built another 3 of their own at Sandock - Austral facility in Durban. Once completed they built a further 3. Similar to the Israel built ship the South African ships were slightly longer and wider to be able to operate in our coastal waters which is much rougher than the Med. Today there is only one still in service most of the others either de commissioned or scraped. Thank you for a very interesting video

[@762223100]

My cousin was in the crews that sailed the subs from france to SA

[@gordonspicer]

thank you/ Most interesting & revealing. Any info on the joint Israel SA nuclear test ? Just between us !

[@762223100]

@@gordonspicer 😉 which test would that be ? I heard the Vela satellite had a malfunction

[@michaelsaayman2802]

Yes Gordon in cooperation with Israel , South Africa did develop nuclear armed weapons. By 1993 we had developed and dismantled all nuclear weapons as part of joining the NPT. That was the old apartheid government which had strong ties to Israel. Todays corrupt ANC government has stronger ties with Russia than Israel.

[@101boertjie]

Are these the ships that were referred to as Strike Craft by the old SA Navy?

[@David-yo8fv]

Former Israeli sailor here, these stories were drilled to us during basic training and one of the guys who actually lead the sails from France gave a speech, what a inspiring resolve representing our branch

[@mendoza4789]

is there ever a time when lying and gaslighting isn't ok with jews? seems like a lifestyle with you people

[@marneus]

That was before or after trying to sink the USS Liberty?

[@bySluBy]

Terrorist

[@FaizanKhan-iq3yd]

I am curious do they teach you anything else than stealing?

[@joni19314]

@@FaizanKhan-iq3yd How is it stealing if they paid for it?

[@glennheth3472]

The Brits sending the message in French was just *Chef's kiss*

[@Solveig.Tissot]

Average Virgin Cringe Brainless Fatherless Anti France Troll Fanboy taking Copium over here ⬆️

[@yuhengwang2185]

this have to be the funniest military operation where nobody was hurt and the all the player apart from the French politions knew exactly what's happening.

[@languerouge5385]

Because you think that this could have happened without the support of some very important french politicians ?

[@yuhengwang2185]

​@@languerouge5385 well, we can only speculate. There is not such info about what you said, at least in this video.

[@Fly-gn7ou]

People forget the french government did that for Lebanon and Palestine. Isreal took the opportunity to during Christmas because they knew there was no guard at night time when they stole it. That's was the most shameful situation for france at this time. and of course they help by some jewish officer in the french army....

[@eelchiong6709]

@@Fly-gn7ou Oh come, copy paste for the nth time. Have you no originality?

[@Maddinhpws]

​@@eelchiong6709ywah this dude copy pasted his weirdass text unddr every single comment. I already went through the motions to get rid of his comments and youtube told me no more would show for me. But I still see them. Really annoyinh.

[@chrislj2890]

What a great story. Gotta give credit to the Israelis when it comes to imagination and innovation.

[@ahmedyahia5471]

I'm Egyptian but i really appreciate Israeli military operations they're genius

[@iz778]

Something that might be of interest to you en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Mendip_(L60). It's about the Destroyer Ibrahim El-Awal.

[@ossian108]

That's really cool! I've heard that Israeli Airforce bombed the "isis in Sinai" few years ago. Apparently it was an operation done together with Egyptian military.

[@ajvorob9117]

Don't say that to your brethren or they're gonna start talking about their "victory" in the Yom Kippur War 😂

[@AMJDG]

I never heard of this operation before - but it was absolutely brilliant. Hats off to the Israeli Navy...

[@joelcohenx]

You can still see one of these ships, it was purposely sunk in Eilat to serve as a diving spot and sort of underwater museum. It is one of the popular diving sites in Israel.

[@toasterhavingabath6980]

..sunk?

[@jcheck1107]

@@toasterhavingabath6980countries frequently sink their old ships that are obsolete for various reasons

[@MysticEagle52]

​@@toasterhavingabath6980if a ship is too old to be used one of the options is it can be sunk as an artifical reef

[@sublimeade]

🇬🇧 : What ship? 🇮🇱 ... 🇬🇧 : 😏 Bon voyage! 🗼

[@patrickbotti2357]

I remember very well what happened there, a French teenager, with family involved in French maritime matters... It was very clear to all who knew anything that since the beginning the French authorities knew what was going on. Cherbourg is a military port, severely guarded. There was no way those boats could have gone out unnoticed. People in the know assured that those boats went with the blessing of De Gaulle. All of this clever "supposed screwing of the French' was a (clever) way of calming down the Arab world. IN fact, the French and the Brits knew all along where those speed boats were and where they were headed to.

[@semicedevine6918]

Sounds like everyone but the upper levels of french bureaucracy knew what was going on from the way you put it, kudos then

[@M.H.D.actual]

" bon voyage" - hilarious, and very British.

[@bigblue6917]

I remember this story and there was a general feeling at the time by many people that the ban on the sale was wrong. They also felt that France's use of the ban was more about getting a good deal with Middle Eastern oil than it was about support for Arab countries.

[@s.marcus3669]

That's exactly right; the arms embargo was definitely about keeping the oil flowing and cheap rather than any affinity for a North African colony/former colony.

[@aymonfoxc1442]

France has long promoted Palestine because France (alongside the UK) was central in the creation of the Palestinian state.

[@dreamingflurry2729]

It was no "ban on the sale" - they kept something they had already sold, so frankly the French were breaking a contract (sure: The manufacturer didn't want to, but was forced to and thus he supported that operation). If Israel hadn't payed, then that would have been different!

[@gordonspicer]

Correct-ish but like in Whitehall & the Quai d' Orsay Paris in those post war days there were alot of old "Lawrence of Arabia "Arabists" walking the forlon corridors of past good times and not keen on the new "upstarts" on the block (think of De Gaulle & Eden)

[@Miniweet9167]

Lebanon was not considered an Arab country at the time. It was majority Christian.

[@mikestone9129]

Once again Israel shows the world that although they are a tiny nation, they will do whatever they must do to survive.

[@Tepaneca]

Easy when the most powerful militaries on earth has your back. They weren’t tough when mr. Mustache was baking them like cookies lol

[@copter2000]

@@Tepaneca Back then it wasn't...

[@abhaykhanka5995]

I cant imagine the grin on the face of the British admiral after sending a cheeky bon voyage

[@lucaburkhardt2592]

Its not stealing, if you paid for it .

[@elrobo3568]

I returned from France yesterday and after spending weeks there and speaking to many French citizens it seems that the ineptness of the French government is still a thing.

[@chrisshattock9916]

France violated contracts! Never heard that one before.

[@magoid]

Some similar shenanigans occurred on the case of the Mirage 5, for them to later appear in Israel as "copies built off stolen Swiss blueprints". But nobody seems to suspect that the Swiss never build the -5 variant, but the -IIIS.

[@X.Y.Z.07]

A bit of whoopsie 😅

[@samy7013]

In reality, the French didn’t stop supplying the Mirage.5J to the Israelis. They merely stopped delivering fully-assembled aircraft. Instead, Dassault and its subcontractors delivered knockdown kits (KDs) to the Israelis, which were then assembled in Israel, and the aircraft were renamed “Nesher” as part of the cover story that they were an “unlicensed copy” or “derivative” of the Mirage.5J. Another cover story was circulated that the “Neshers” were supposedly built using blueprints bought illegally from a Swiss engineer (Switzerland at the time was producing a licensed copy of the Mirage, the Mirage.IIIS). All of this was false. The KDs and their components all came directly from France, and Marcel Dasssault, CEO of Dassault Aviation-a French Jew and a proponent of Israel-took a personal interest in making sure the Israeli Mirage contract was fulfilled. The French Government was happy as long as the aircraft were paid for and as long as the Israelis continued to provide plausible deniability through cover stories. On the Israeli side, the chief engineer supervising the assembly of the KDs was actually a highly experienced Jewish American aviation engineer: Gene Salvay of North American Rockwell Aviation. Interestingly enough, when the Israelis sold their surplus “Neshers” to the Argentines in the 1970s, they never bothered to remove the original manufacturer ID plates that the French, as per their standard practice, had attached onto the aircraft. Interestingly, because the machines had originally been delivered to the Israelis as KDs, their manufacturer ID plates bore the logo of the Aerospatiale corporation, rather than Dassault’s. That’s because the kits were shipped to Israel straight from Dassault’s biggest subcontractor (Aerospatiale), and had bypassed the step where the machines would be assembled at the Dassault factory and get a Dassault manufacturer ID plate in place of Aerospatiale’s. To this day, the surviving Argentine “Neshers” can be photographed and their Aerospatiale plates are as visible and pristine as on the day that they were first attached onto the knockdown kits before delivery to Israel. The Israelis apparently never bothered to remove the plates because by the late 1970s, the original delivery of the Mirage.5Js was ancient history, and the French, having conquered the Mirage export market to various Arab air forces by then, knew that they had a captive market and no longer stood to lose any sales even if the plausible deniability about the Mirage.5J was long gone. And that there is the full story of the mythical “French embargo” of the Israeli Mirages. There was no embargo.

[@tombergins8215]

Actually the Blue Prints were given to Israel by a French government official who was a French Resistance fighter in WW2 & was caught by the Gestapo & imprisoned with Jews in a concentration camp. Can't remember his name, but I recall he was a defence ministry official

[@X.Y.Z.07]

The Kfir version were also exported to Colombian Air Force

[@samy7013]

@@tombergins8215 : I literally just wrote the whole story of how the “Nesher” i.e. Mirage.5J came to be. Read it, instead of spewing false propaganda that even the Israeli government and the IAI corporation doesn’t even espouse anymore.

[@Vito_Tuxedo]

A new standard test for idiocy: "On a scale from one to trying to screw Israel out of their own property, how bad is that idea?" 😎

[@tinman3586]

They sure have no problem screwing other people out of their own property. They've been doing it for centuries.

[@mcorry6072]

​​@@tinman3586your trope comes straight out of Nazi or Medieval church dogma and we all know how objective they where.

[@Vito_Tuxedo]

@@tinman3586 Let me see if I've got this straight. You're judging an entire culture with your prejudicial view, and what...you expect anyone who is rational to agree with your bullshit? Well, I'll give you this much: at least you're up front about your hatred. No one has any doubt about your position, or your inability to recognize your own irrationality.

[@mrharpable]

Sounds like European and Islamic empires, not Israel/Jews

[@tinman3586]

@mrharpable Funny how Jews get to invade other people's land and displace them, engaging in 21st Century colonialism for their Jewish ethno-state then they turn around and preach against those things (when other countries do it) from their tenured positions in Western universities. The modern Zionist state of so-called Israel isn't the real Israel of God.

[@snarrwarschannel]

This needs to be a movie!

[@Panzerfan93]

The Israelis also stole documents from switzerland for their Mirages since the swiss also built theirs under french license

[@dougerrohmer]

The entire set of manufacturing drawings. Back in the days of paper drawings, it would have been several truck loads.

[@diestormlie]

​@@dougerrohmer"And what is in these trucks?" "Erm... Challah." "...Can I have some?"

[@greenyoshi777]

"Bon voyage" from a British naval officer to an Israeli fleet who just jacked their boats from the french is a whole new level of petty!

[@gordonfrickers5592]

Very well scripted and narrated thank you. I remember well this story breaking in the British press who apparently knew very little of the detailed back ground as you have described. For your amusement, the British public perspective as I remember. De Gaulle's 'unjust' arms embargo was know as was the fact of 50 Mirage & these 5 gunboat, plus other 'items' being with held by de Gaulle. This embargo after payment had been made was as among French people, widely considered scandalous. The first most Brits knew of the 'change in circumstances' was news headlines along the lines of '5 Israeli gunboats have vanished from Cherbourg' & 'No one knows where they are!" Next came, "NATO can't find the missing gunboats" and "do pirates have them?" In Fact, by then the boats were well into the vast Bay of Biscay and motoring flat out, South. I never saw reported how the boats passed Gibraltar so that part of your video was yet another surprise. NATO can't find them continued to be reported for several day cumulating with a press scoop. Film of the 5 boats racing flat out, heading East across a very blue central Mediterranean sea and each boat flying a large national flag of Israel. Later the 'Press' had good mileage explaining how the Israelis had taken their boats. Most of the Press stories only vaguely resembled the account here and some not at all. All the British people I was living among at that time thought Israel did the right thing and that Nelson, Anson and Drake would have been proud of them. There are also unsung heroes in your tale. Sincere thanks should go for the very many French people especially those in positions of responsibility who knew when to 'do a Nelson', turn a blind eye. Merci sincèrement Mesdames et Messieurs les Français qui ont eu le courage de s'opposer à l'embargo très injuste et probablement illégal de De Gaulle. Merci🏁 bien, vive la France !

[@barrydysert2974]

Thank You so very much for Your perspective !:-) 🙏

[@alimanski7941]

Quite remarkable you can recall headlines so many decades later. Thanks for sharing

[@Fly-gn7ou]

People forget the french government did that for Lebanon and Palestine. Isreal took the opportunity to during Christmas because they knew there was no guard at night time when they stole it. That's was the most shameful situation for france at this time. and of course they help by some jewish officer in the french army....

[@gordonfrickers5592]

@@alimanski7941 thank you, this was a big story in Britain at the time so for those of supporters of beleaguered Israel, and us interested in the sea (I'm told I've become a marine painter, etc) this was not going to pass unnoticed. Through the fog of deception and mystery, many Brits guessed what was really happening. No one was 'officially' saying anything & the story was further confused as usual with and by the BBC and other mass media doing what it still does, especially in relation to Israel, broadcasting all sorts of rubbish, mostly guesses and opinions given as facts. Then came the publicly shown film taken from a helicopter of the 5 boats in the central Med making best speed, heading East & flying large Israeli flags all of which was presented as a 'scoop' and did rather suggest the Israelis have 'nicked' their own boats.

[@chugachuga9242]

I love learning about the sneaky covert missions the Israelis do. Every single time it is the most action movie style plan and it’s all very entertaining.

[@Amfortas]

Guzzle guzzle! Zionist propaganda tastes great!

[@davidvasquez08]

India: Write that down!

[@HIFLY01]

And makes you wonder who the 110th will be

[@alexandercorbett3095]

Like the USS Liberty?

[@skyden24195]

No kidding. Their mission to destroy the nuclear "research" facility in Iraq ended up inspiring the plot for "Top Gun: Maverick."

[@sammycarlosbaraza1789]

Wow. The whole documentary is a captivating tale. To every challenge that confronts their national security the Israelis have the brains and means of figuring out a solution. Cheers

[@davidlea-smith4747]

Nice video. It is worth reading the full story including how many Cherbourgers were well aware of what the Israelis were doing to the poodle given by a French woman to her Israeli lover who joined this trip and then became well known as an early warning dog who used to become stressed before any major threat. Amazing story.

[@tedcrilly46]

what.

[@davidlea-smith4747]

It is in this book along with alot of amazing stories. @@tedcrilly46

[@Speedster___]

Wdym poodle

[@catch22ash]

The more I learn about Israel's military history the more impressed I become.

[@livemealone4247]

😂😂😂😂 truth

[@Nostradumbass420]

and the less I trust them.

[@imisstoronto3121]

@@Nostradumbass420 with a name like yours I wouldnt trust you either

[@SeedlingNL]

@@Nostradumbass420 Don't be a French politician then!

[@vargvikernes6366]

Look up uss liberty incident and till me how impressed you are

[@Del_S]

Ocean's Eleven but pretty much everyone except the casino owner helps the crew pull off the caper.

[@Ciborium]

The casino management seeing the caper being formed but chose to be willfully ignorant because they disagreed with the casino owner, or had a sense of personal honor to uphold.

[@wfb.subtraktor311]

another big difference is that ocean's 11 wasn't a bunch of fascist war criminals from an apartheid state.

[@Cancoillotteman]

Hey ! The Casino employees helping out to stick it to the owner is a nice ending twist I find :)

[@chera3777]

I really like the calm and well explained animation/narrator of this channel. Great mini-docu's! 👍🏼

[@28ebdh3udnav]

Here is another story you should cover. How Israel was able to get the blueprints to the mirage 5 aircraft and reverse engineered the planes

[@mahbriggs]

What crime?

[@Fly-gn7ou]

People forget the french government did that for Lebanon and Palestine. Isreal took the opportunity to during Christmas because they knew there was no guard at night time when they stole it. That's was the most shameful situation for france at this time. and of course they help by some jewish officer in the french army....

[@28ebdh3udnav]

@@mahbriggs they spied. The Israelis asked the French to make the mirage 5. They were going to buy the aircraft. Once France had them ready, they placed an embargo on Israel. The Israelis got the blueprints and documents and made a copy called the Kfir fighter

[@mahbriggs]

@@28ebdh3udnav So? Having paid for something and then the supplying country slapping an embargo and not delivering isn't a crime? I haven't forgotten that France was just as anti-semetic as Germany was.

[@thiest1205]

The fact the boats were not monitored show the French were complicit in the operation

[@philyew3617]

Not really... It shows that the left hand in France doesn't have a clue what the right hand is doing. Never has done and never will do. The simple concept of Government departments communicating is completely alien to french bureaucractic methods. They are a bunch of individuals who can never ever be wrong, even when they know they are wrong.

[@thiest1205]

@@philyew3617 one could conclude their lackidazicl attitude makes them complicit .... No?

[@Joy3269]

Thank You For This Video. May God Bless You. May God Bless Israel. We Love Israel. We pray for the peace of Israel & For The Peace of Jerusalem. Amen. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🌺🌺🌺.

[@waverlh]

I had never heard this story, however, it confirms my belief that Israel has the absolute level best team of espionage in the world. Thank you for the vid!

[@jamieflame01]

You could say that Israel has a 5th column in many countries, including and perhaps in a higher degree among allied countries.

[@user-qp2fs3kp9z]

Its true we suspect everybody all the time 😊

[@yakov95000]

​@@jamieflame01Israel doesn't have "5 columns" it many more sympathizers from all backgrounds,races and religions(God bless each one)who help in the end help the state keep people safe.About the abilities of Israel intelligence(btw this is all public knowledge you can read allot even on how Aman is the main agency not Mossad)...Israel intelligence is very capable locally but it is Tiny(Israel is country which have about the same Population and economy as New York City)it much less resources to deal with and even less man(there is probably little to no presence in much of the world).Israel does have very very strong local capabilities in the Middle East though(which is why Israel saved more Western lives then any other country by far in thwartING of Terror),but you see how Israel use cooperation with other agencies like Mi6,CIA and even Enemy countries(for example in the operation in Sudan)relaying on other as Middle man,if Israel have presence in any outside Middle East it is probably for specific missions.

[@jamieflame01]

@yakov95000 Nope it's spies and traitors Israel relies on, the native Jewish populations conduct 5th column activities in their country of residence. We as an earth will not be safe with a terrorist nation as Israel pulling strings. A failed state as the rest of the region. Thanks American Jewish lobby, thanks robber capitalism.

[@ossian108]

​@@jamieflame01If you said you'd be wrong. You seem to forget the value of intel USA gets from Israeli intelligence agencies. According to some US general (i don't remember the name Google has it) it's worth billions of dollars.

[@jkasiron2275]

I've never heard of this story! I really appreciate all of the little details in each of these videos. There is always more to events than you get in the news or in school. Thanks!!

[@henrypasco39]

Wow what great courage and determination

[@dovidell]

As an ex-pat Brit living in Israel , this operation has me smiling VERY broadly !!! ( I had no idea WHATSOEVER about the Norwegian connection until now , so hat tip to the video researchers )

[@CrowBarActual]

@@Israelisnotourfriend what does this have to do with the video? That's already covered in another video. You sound like a Nazi here.

[@giovannyc.1724]

15:55 Ah yes, the good old times between these two

[@MyNameIsChristBringsASword]

Praise the Lord and bless those who bless Israel

[@jorgecruzseda7551]

A friend of mine used to say "ITS EASIER TO ASK FOR FORGIVENESS THAN FOR PERMISSION!!! 😜

[@silkaverage]

When small countries punch way above their weight :) This "Raid" was gutsy and cunning and I love it.

[@lhkraut]

What a beautiful operation! Took delivery of their own boats in quite a novel way! The perfect operation, no shots fired, no blood spilled.

[@timeforgottenprince8271]

Aside from perhaps blood from bloody noses from being too furious of angry French government people.

[@englishalan222]

The French Air force should have sunk them

[@reverentlygrim2666]

"no shots fired, no blood spilled" as if Arabs are not humans, That is exactly how you see us you "Civilized westerners" You Hypocrites murders Applauds your last colony in our land, a Foreign Ugly alien entity like a cancer cell planted in my region.

[@lhkraut]

Luckily they didn't. They paid for them, and many in their own government wanted them to have the boats. @@englishalan222

[@ofer3000]

Keep crying arab 😜😜😜😜😜​@@englishalan222

[@Pixxelshim]

A terrific story, expertly presented! Thanks

[@randyfluhart6189]

I own, and have read multiple times The Boats of Cherbourg. It's one of my absolute favorite books. In parallel to the story in the video, it also recounts the development of the Gabriel anti-ship missle. I highly recommend it.

[@samrodian919]

Could you add to your post the author, and publisher of ' The Boats of Cherbourg' please?

[@whyme953]

@@samrodian919 The author is Avraham Rabinovich. Excellent book, I just happened to read it a few months ago.

[@samrodian919]

@@whyme953 thank you !

[@TheLiamster]

The way the British reacted was so funny

[@mellon4251]

When I have learned one thing over the past years watching Intelligence Reports or spy missions it's: "Don't fuck with Israel or Mossad"

[@NVRAMboi]

Rule #1: Israel/Mossad do NOT forget.

[@krostouin]

KZbin expertise at its peak

[@droopymccool9341]

Especially if you’re a Palestinian journalist

[@gordonfrickers5592]

😆😆😆😆@@droopymccool9341

[@Ian-mj4pt]

​@droopymccool9341 or they want your land

[@dvtye3378]

That message from Sanguinetti to Limon was basically a 'my parent's aren't home' moment.

[@rtyler1869]

This would make a great movie. True, politics, and dastardly deeds with a fair bit of humour.

[@KS-se5ry]

The same situation happened in 2014 as russia was invading crimea. Two carriers and landing ships (BPC) were built and ready to sail to russia. Authorities then decided to avoid any access to the ship to the russian crew being trained in st nazaire in order not to live again the same event. I was a student in this city at the time, I saw these very big vessels staying for months at the harbour. Fun fact, US made pressure on french government not to finalise the deal with russia (which was finaly a good idea back in 2023). It has then been used as an argument on the weapon market not to buy french equipments "if you buy french, they shall not deliver you"

[@mackemftm74]

Probably only took Gibraltar a minute to realise what was going on and the next 14 pissing themselves laughing at the French before they could respond with a calm voice 😂😂😂

[@slamhead]

"Bon Voyage" 😂 Great message from the brit.

[@normtrooper4392]

I feel like every single Israeli operation I hear about could be turned into an amazing movie.

[@slypear]

That's because they would be!

[@aaronhrynyk]

The Israelis are really good at propaganda but also, they do ballsy shit lol

[@herbiehusker1889]

Yeah like their attack on the USS Liberty.

[@OldieBugger]

Wonderful story! I haven't laughed this well for a long time.

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

The Israeli took the British tradition of trolling France... oh how fast they grow up.

[@Solveig.Tissot]

Average Virgin Cringe Brainless Fatherless Anti France Troll Fanboy taking Copium over here ⬆️

[@shaicohen2]

never. again.

[@jamesbulldogmiller]

Amen

[@jameskerr3258]

This was one of your best videos. Really enjoyed it!

[@barrydysert2974]

What a completely fascinating story !:-) 🙏

[@joetheplumber5781]

I was fortunate enough to meet Mordechai "Mocha" Limon. It should be mentioned that he fled France and was declared "persona non grate" by the French.

[@hawk0485]

Excellent presentation

[@act4306]

This should be a movie. Great, as always.

[@raymondyee2008]

Holy Cow...do one on the story of the Kfir.

[@billmmckelvie5188]

I just love our response at Gibraltar, Bon Voyage . It would have been much nicer if we'd supplied cover from Gib to Malta, the French wouldn't dare attack with our boats along side.

[@stupidburp]

Some aid to the stricken vessels low on fuel. Purely for safety of navigation and transit of course. Escort across the Mediterranean to keep an eye out for any potential pirates.

[@hellomoto2084]

Are their pirates in Mediterranean?

[@fuckhandles1233]

De Gaulle: does something outrageously stupid everyone: suprised pikachu face

[@JamesWalker-ng1qh]

Always love a story like this.

[@andrecandrade]

What an amazing story! Tks for sharing! 🎉🎉🎉

[@Jesters-Jinx]

Mad lads.

[@zeusername]

I guess when life gives you Limons...

[@parrot849]

I love it! Three cheers and a tip of the hat for the Israelis!!

[@QPRTokyo]

Thank you for your hard work and for making what could have a complicated story into an informative, interesting and entertaining story. 😄😄😄😄

[@kpdvw]

once you have bought and paid for anything it is your property to do as you wish and go with it where you may government embargos be damned...!

[@JoshuaGottlieb-oz4er]

This is amazing; thank you for sharing 🙏

[@jamesconkey1480]

THIS needs to be a movie

[@capnstewy55]

Also, if they didn't deliver goods that were already paid for then no one else in the world would want to buy French military products again.

[@gordonspicer]

Its a decent idea, but France has become very succesful in its arms exports and now a competitor to the US specially in Saudi & the Gulf.

[@KonglomeratYT]

Ah yes. Just how nobody else ever bought anything british ever again after Great Britain didn't deliver the ships the ottomans paid for. Don't be ridiculous lmao.

[@AZREDFERN]

Why is this not a movie yet?

[@robbabcock_]

Great video!

[@yawwwn]

Ahh great content, as always. Educational Gold👌🏼

[@phillipjones3342]

Excellent video thanks for sharing

[@ThisFinalHandle]

French Gov: There goes Norway's new navel boats. Boats turn heading south from Cherbourg. Also French Gov: Sacrebleu!

[@ravndrup]

British commander: "Bon Voyage". Excellent !!!!

[@Solveig.Tissot]

Average Virgin Cringe Brainless Fatherless Anti France Troll Fanboy taking Copium over here ⬆️

[@chrissartain4430]

This must have been a lot of work to put this all together, Great video !!

[@tombrunila2695]

It could not have been pulled off without the help of the French! The French government knew and was very pleased with what happened. The same with the Mirage fighter jets that were "embargoed". France took over the finished airframes and sent an equal number packed in crates to Israel. Google: The true story behind Israeli Nesher fighter, the Mirage 5, built by Rocwell

[@SirJamesSomerville99]

As the video highlights, this is incorrect. Large portions of the French public, bureaucracy, and smaller portions of the actual government supported Israel. Those loyal to de Gaulle stood by the embargo. The plan would likely have succeeded without their help, but with it, succeeded spectacularly. So no, the French government did not know, nor was it happy with the outcome - it was embarrassing. A pure display Byzantine ineptitude. However, small elements of the government, were either ignorant to it, or supportive of it. What really made a difference was the lower echelon of bureaucrats and administrators.

[@zaper2904]

Yeah the more I learn about this particular period of history the more I learn about how unpopular de Gaulle's Israel policy was.

[@dc-4ever201]

​@@zaper2904DeGaulle seems to have been very unpopular, one can only wonder why he was ever voted in as President. There was a saying among the allied High command during WWII, if you want the Germans to find out just tell DeGaulle and his staff, pretty much sums them up tbh.

[@tombrunila2695]

@@SirJamesSomerville99 De Gaulle needed France to look like it was a friend of the Arab countries. But he also wanted to stay friends with Israel and help its survival. De Gaulle was smart and a very savvy politician who was interested in taking care of the interests of France.

[@SirJamesSomerville99]

@@tombrunila2695 that's a seriously poor reading and understanding of de Gaulle, and his motives.