Jerusalem: Israeli intelligence agency Mossad executes operations with such precision that not even its targets get any proof of who carried them out. One of its most legendary missions took place in 1966 when the agency stole one of the world’s most powerful weapons from under the noses of nations supplied by the erstwhile Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The operation was as much about fun as it was about sending a message of fear.
A weapon those days struck fear among the world’s most powerful nations. The Soviet Union had upgraded the MiG-19 fighter jet into a new model known as the MiG-21. The aircraft was supplied to countries like Egypt, Lebanon and Iraq, and Israel viewed its deployment as a threat to its security.
Provoked by repeated threats, Mossad decided that stealing the MiG-21 would become its achievement.
A Playful But Deadly Mission
Then Mossad chief Meir Amit convened a meeting to discuss what could be the agency’s greatest feat. The room unanimously named the MiG-21. The plan, which was codenamed ‘Operation Diamond’, aimed to steal the fighter jet and bring it to Israel.
The first two attempts failed, but Mossad’s team recalibrated. The decision was made to target the nations receiving the jet from the Soviets. Iraq became the focus, and a female Mossad agent was assigned to the mission.
The key to success came in the form of Munir Redfa, an Iraqi pilot who was frustrated with government policies and denied promotions and salary increments. The Mossad agent wooed him with promises of $1 million, a government job and a home in Israel for his family.
Redfa agreed, and on 16 August 1966, Mossad successfully smuggled the MiG-21 out of Iraq. The operation became one of the most celebrated missions in intelligence history, combining cunning, strategy and sheer audacity.