Israel - 25 Years of Operation Jonathan - Official State Medal - Silver 925, 49g (approx. 45.8g pure silver, 1.47 ...

Israel - 25 Years of Operation Jonathan - Official State Medal - Silver 925, 49g (approx. 45.8g pure silver, 1.47 oz), 50 mm An impressive official state medal commemorating the 25th anniversary of Operation Jonathan - one of the boldest and most famous rescue missions in the history of the State of Israel. On June 27, 1976, an Air France aircraft departing from Lod Airport was hijacked by Arab and German terrorists. The plane was forced to land at Entebbe Airport in Uganda, with the cooperation of Ugandan President Idi Amin. The terrorists threatened to execute the hostages unless imprisoned terrorists were released. IDF commanders, led by Chief of Staff Mordechai Gur, presented Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Defense Minister Shimon Peres with a daring military rescue plan. Brigadier General Dan Shomron commanded the operation, while Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Netanyahu, commander of the elite Sayeret Matkal unit, was tasked with leading the assault on the old terminal building. On the night of July 3, 1976, four Hercules aircraft departed for Africa. In a swift and precise raid, the terrorists were eliminated and the hostages rescued. Jonathan Netanyahu was fatally wounded during the operation. Operation Jonathan became an international symbol of courage, determination, and resistance to terrorism. Obverse: Portrait of Jonathan Netanyahu together with the biblical quotation from David’s lament: “The bow of Jonathan turned not back” (II Samuel 1:22). The emblem of Sayeret Matkal appears for the first time on an official Israeli medal. Reverse: Hercules aircraft flying above the Entebbe terminal together with the inscription “25th Anniversary - Operation Jonathan” in Hebrew and English.