List of the Israel Defense Forces operations
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Since its
establishment Establishment may refer to: * The Establishment, a dominant group or elite that controls a polity or an organization * The Establishment (club), a 1960s club in London, England * The Establishment (Pakistan), political terminology for the military ...
in 1948, the modern State of Israel has been involved in a series of military operations (in addition to seven recognized wars) which all compose the military aspect of the complex
Arab–Israeli conflict The Arab–Israeli conflict is an ongoing intercommunal phenomenon involving political tension, military conflicts, and other disputes between Arab countries and Israel, which escalated during the 20th century, but had mostly faded out by the ...
. The following list centralizes the main and most notable military operations conducted by the
Israeli Defense Forces Israeli may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the State of Israel * Israelis, citizens or permanent residents of the State of Israel * Modern Hebrew, a language * ''Israeli'' (newspaper), published from 2006 to 2008 * Guni Israeli (b ...
sorted in chronological order and divided into the main time periods of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict for easier navigation.


1948–1967


1948 Arab–Israeli War


1956 Suez Crisis

*''
Operation Kadesh The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...
'' (October 29 - November 6, 1956) – Israeli armored thrust into the Sinai Peninsula.


Additional Israeli military operations

* ''
Operation Magic Carpet Operation Magic Carpet was the post-World War II operation by the War Shipping Administration to repatriate over eight million American military personnel from the European, Pacific, and Asian theaters. Hundreds of Liberty ships, Victory ships ...
'' (1949–50) – Air operation to rescue and transport the Yemeni Jewish Community to Israel. * ''
Operation Ezra and Nehemiah From 1951 to 1952, Operation Ezra and Nehemiah airlifted between 120,000 and 130,000 Iraqi Jews to Israel via Iran and Cyprus. The massive emigration of Iraqi Jews was among the most climactic events of the Jewish exodus from the Muslim World. ...
'' (1950–52) – Operation which airlifted almost all
Iraqi Jews The history of the Jews in Iraq ( he, יְהוּדִים בָּבְלִים, ', ; ar, اليهود العراقيون, ) is documented from the time of the Babylonian captivity c. 586 BC. Iraqi Jews constitute one of the world's oldest and mo ...
to Israel. * '' Retribution operations'' (1950s–1960s) –
Military operation A military operation is the coordinated military actions of a state, or a non-state actor, in response to a developing situation. These actions are designed as a military plan to resolve the situation in the state or actor's favor. Operations ma ...
s carried out by the Israel Defense Forces during the 1950s and 1960s. These actions were in response to constant fedayeen
terror attack Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...
s during which the
Palestinian militants Palestinian political violence refers to acts of violence perpetrated for political ends in relation to the State of Palestine or in connection with Palestinian nationalism. Common political objectives include self-determination in and sovere ...
infiltrated from Syria,
Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
and
Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
into Israel to carry out guerrilla attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers. The policy of the retribution operations was exceptional due to Israel's declared aim of getting a high 'blood cost' among the enemy side which was believed to be necessary in order to deter them from committing future attacks. * ''
Operation Susannah Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...
'' (1954) – Failed Israeli covert operation conducted in Egypt in which
Israeli military intelligence The Israeli Military Intelligence ( he, אגף המודיעין; ''Agaf HaModi'in''; lit. "the Intelligence Section"), often abbreviated to Aman ( he, אמ״ן), is the central, overarching military intelligence body of the Israel Defense Forces. ...
planted bombs in Egyptian, American and
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
-owned targets in Egypt so that it would seem that these actions were conducted by an Egyptian nationalist resistance and would eventually damage the relations between Egypt and Western countries. The incident became known as the Lavon Affair after Israeli defense minister
Pinhas Lavon Pinhas Lavon ( he, פנחס לבון, 12 July 1904 – 24 January 1976) was an Israeli politician, minister and labor leader, best known for the Lavon Affair. Early life Lavon was born as Pinhas Lubianiker in the small city of Kopychyntsi in t ...
was forced to resign because of the incident. * Operation Olive Leaves aka Operation Kinneret (10–11 December 1955), Israeli reprisal operation undertaken against Syrian emplacements near the north-eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee. * ''
Operation Yachin Operation Yakhin was an operation to secretly emigrate Moroccan Jews to Israel, conducted by Israel's Mossad between November 1961 and spring 1964. About 97,000 left for Israel by plane and ship from Casablanca and Tangier via France and Italy. ...
'' (1961–64) – Operation to secretly transport Moroccan Jews to Israel. * '' War over Water'' (1964–67) – Several IDF military operations against Syrian-Lebanese Headwater Diversion Plan which had the purpose to block the flow of the water sources to the
Jordan Valley The Jordan Valley ( ar, غور الأردن, ''Ghor al-Urdun''; he, עֵמֶק הַיַרְדֵּן, ''Emek HaYarden'') forms part of the larger Jordan Rift Valley. Unlike most other river valleys, the term "Jordan Valley" often applies just to ...
River Basin A drainage basin is an area of land where all flowing surface water converges to a single point, such as a river mouth, or flows into another body of water, such as a lake or ocean. A basin is separated from adjacent basins by a perimeter, t ...
and the Sea of Galilee.


1967–1993


1967 Six-Day War

* ''
Operation Focus Operation Focus ( he, מבצע מוקד, ''Mivtza Moked'') was the opening airstrike by Israel at the start of the Six-Day War in 1967. It is sometimes referred to as the "Sinai Air Strike". At 07:45 on 5 June 1967, the Israeli Air Force (IAF) u ...
'' (1967) –
Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; he, זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, tl, "Air and Space Arm", commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defens ...
bombing of Egyptian airfields, expanded to include Syrian, Jordanian and Iraqi airfields as well (also known as ''Moked'', its Hebrew name).


1967–1970 War of Attrition

* '' Operation Inferno'' (Hebrew: ''Tofet'') (1968) – Israeli raid against PLO militants in the Jordanian town of
Karameh Al-Karameh ( ar, الكرامة), or simply Karameh, is a town in west-central Jordan, near the Allenby Bridge which spans the Jordan River. Karameh sits on the eastern bank of the river, along the border between Jordan, Israel, as well as the Isr ...
(on the east bank of the Jordan river). * '' Operation Boxer'' (1969) – A series of attacks by the Israeli Air Force on Egyptian SAM installations * '' Operation Bulmus 6'' (1969) – Israeli special operations raid against the Egyptian fortress,
early warning radar An early-warning radar is any radar system used primarily for the long-range detection of its targets, i.e., allowing defences to be alerted as ''early'' as possible before the intruder reaches its target, giving the air defences the maximum t ...
and
ELINT Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is intelligence-gathering by interception of '' signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly used in communication ...
station of Green Island in the Gulf of Suez. * '' Operation Raviv'' (1969) – Israeli armoured raid across the Gulf of Suez into Egypt. Egyptian radar installation at Ras Abu-Daraj and Ras Za'arfrana were destroyed. Also known as the Ten-Hour War. ** '' Operation Escort'' (1969) – Shayetet 13 operation against Egyptian torpedo boats anchored at Ras Sadat, prelude to operation ''Raviv''. * ''
Operation Rooster 53 Operation Rooster 53 was an Israeli military operation during the War of Attrition to capture an Egyptian P-12 radar system. Often referred to as merely Operation Rooster, it was carried out on December 26 and 27, 1969. Participating forces incl ...
'' (1969) – Israeli special operation to capture an Egyptian P-12 radar system. * ''
Operation Priha The Priha (Blossom) Operations were a series of strikes undertaken by the Israeli Air Force during the War of Attrition. Taking place between January and April 1970, the operations consisted of 118 sorties against targets in the Egyptian heartland ...
'' ("Blossom") (1970) – A concentrated series of Israeli strikes against military targets in the Egyptian heartland.


The 1973 Yom Kippur War

* ''
Operation Doogman 5 Operation Model 5 (Hebrew: דוגמן 5, ''Doogman 5'') is the name of an Israeli Air Force operation, and the common name for the ensuing anti-aircraft battle, which took place over the Golan Heights on the October 7, 1973, the second day of t ...
'' ("Model 5") (1973) – Attempted Israeli suppression of Syrian air defence array on the
Golan Heights The Golan Heights ( ar, هَضْبَةُ الْجَوْلَانِ, Haḍbatu l-Jawlān or ; he, רמת הגולן, ), or simply the Golan, is a region in the Levant spanning about . The region defined as the Golan Heights differs between di ...
. * ''
Battle of the Chinese Farm A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and for ...
'' - Israeli crossing of the Suez Canal with Operation Abirey-Halev * ''
Operation Abirey-Halev Operation Abirey-Halev or Operation Abirey-Lev (lit. ''Knights of the Heart'') also known as Operation Stouthearted Men and Operation Valiant, code-named Operation Gazelle ( he, מבצע אבירי לב, ar, ثغرة الدفرسوار), was an ...
'' ("Stouthearted Men") (1973) – Israeli crossing of the Suez Canal


1982 Lebanon War

* ''
Operation Peace for Galilee The 1982 Lebanon War, dubbed Operation Peace for Galilee ( he, מבצע שלום הגליל, or מבצע של"ג ''Mivtsa Shlom HaGalil'' or ''Mivtsa Sheleg'') by the Israeli government, later known in Israel as the Lebanon War or the First L ...
'' (1982) – Second large-scale Israeli invasion of Lebanon. ** ''
Operation Mole Cricket 19 Operation Mole Cricket 19 ( he , מבצע ערצב-19, ''Mivtza ʻArtzav Tsha-Esreh'') was a suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) campaign launched by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) against Syrian targets on June 9, 1982, at the outset of the 1 ...
'' ("Arzav 19") – Israeli suppression of Syrian SAM network in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. ** ''
Siege of Beirut The siege of Beirut took place in summer 1982, as part of the 1982 Lebanon War, which resulted from the breakdown of the ceasefire effected by the United Nations. The siege ended with the Palestinian Liberation Organization being forced out of Bei ...
'' – Israeli siege of
Beirut Beirut, french: Beyrouth is the capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, which makes it the third-largest city in the Levant region. The city is situated on a peninsula at the midpoint o ...
in order to force a PLO withdrawal from Lebanon. ** '' Battle of the Beaufort'' – Israeli capture of a strategic castle used by PLO forces in Southern Lebanon. ** '' Battle of Jezzine'' – Israeli expulsion of Syrian forces from the town of Jezzine. ** '' Battle of Sultan Yacoub'' – Battle between Israel and Syria in the Lebanese village of Sultan Yacoub.


1987–1993 First Intifada


Additional Israeli military operations

* '' Operation Gift'' (1968) – An
IDF IDF or idf may refer to: Defence forces * Irish Defence Forces * Israel Defense Forces *Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006 * Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917 Organizations * Israeli Diving Federation * Interac ...
Special Forces operation carried out on 28 December 1968 at the Beirut International Airport during which 13 civilian airplanes belonging to
Middle East Airlines Middle East Airlines – Air Liban S.A.L. ( ar, طيران الشرق الأوسط ـ الخطوط الجوية اللبنانية ''Ṭayyarān al-Sharq al-Awsaṭ – al-Khuṭūṭ al-jawiyyah al-lubnāniyyah''), more commonly known as Middle ...
(MEA) were destroyed in response to an attack on an Israeli airliner in
Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
by the
Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine ( ar, الجبهة الشعبية لتحرير فلسطين, translit=al-Jabhah al-Sha`biyyah li-Taḥrīr Filasṭīn, PFLP) is a secular Palestinian Marxist–Leninist and revolutionary so ...
(PFLP). * ''
Cherbourg Project The Cherbourg Project (or Boats of Cherbourg) was an Israeli military operation that took place on 24 December 1969 and involved the escape of five remaining armed Sa'ar 3 class boats from the French port of Cherbourg (Cherbourg-Octeville sin ...
'' (1969) – Israeli military action involving the escape of five missile boats from the French port of Cherbourg. * '' Shelling on Lebanon'' (1970) – Israel retaliated the
Avivim school bus massacre The Avivim school bus bombing was a terrorist attack on an Israeli school bus on 22 May 1970, in which 12 civilians were killed, nine of them children, and 25 were wounded, one of whom died of a wound sustained in the attack 44 years later. The ...
by shelling four Lebanese villages, killing 20 people, injuring 40, and spurring thousands of southern Lebanon's residents to flee north. * ''
Black September in Jordan Black September ( ar, أيلول الأسود; ''Aylūl Al-Aswad''), also known as the Jordanian Civil War, was a conflict fought in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan between the Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF), under the leadership of King Husse ...
'' (1970) – Took place when PLO attempted to take power in
Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
, backed by Syria. Israel supported
King Hussein Hussein bin Talal ( ar, الحسين بن طلال, ''Al-Ḥusayn ibn Ṭalāl''; 14 November 1935 – 7 February 1999) was King of Jordan from 11 August 1952 until his death in 1999. As a member of the Hashemite dynasty, the royal family o ...
in his fight against Syria and PLO combatants, launching airstrikes against Faisal Hussain of Scunthorpe, UK. * '' Operation Isotope'' (1972) – Takeover of a kidnapped aeroplane and hostage release. * '' Operation Crate 3'' (1972) – Kidnapping of five Syrian intelligence officers. * ''
Operation Wrath of God Operation "Wrath of God" ( he, מבצע זעם האל ''Mivtza Za'am Ha'el''), also known as Operation "Bayonet", was a covert operation directed by Mossad to assassinate individuals involved in the 1972 Munich massacre in which 11 members of t ...
'' (1972–79) – Israeli covert operation carried out by the Mossad and
IDF IDF or idf may refer to: Defence forces * Irish Defence Forces * Israel Defense Forces *Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006 * Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917 Organizations * Israeli Diving Federation * Interac ...
whose aim was to assassinate individuals alleged to have been directly or indirectly involved in the 1972
Munich massacre The Munich massacre was a terrorist attack carried out during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, by eight members of the Palestinian militant organization Black September, who infiltrated the Olympic Village, killed two member ...
. Their targets usually included members of Black September and PLO. ** '' Airstrike'' (1972) – Israeli planes bombed ten PLO bases in Syria and Lebanon as a response to the Munich massacre. ** ''
Operation Spring of Youth The 1973 Israeli raid on Lebanon (known as Operation Spring of Youth, Hebrew: מבצע אביב נעורים, ''Mivtsa Aviv Ne'urim'') took place on the night of April 9 and early morning of April 10, 1973, when Israeli army special forces un ...
'' (1973) – Attacks on PLO bases in
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
. * '' Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114'' (1973) – Arab civilian airplane shot down in then-Israeli-controlled airspace over the
Sinai Peninsula The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai (now usually ) (, , cop, Ⲥⲓⲛⲁ), is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. It is between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, and is ...
. * ''
Ma'alot massacre The Ma'alot massacreSources describing the event as a "massacre": * "The day after the Ma'alot massacre, condemned by Pope Paul VI and most Western leaders as 'an evil outrage…'" Frank Gervasi. ''Thunder Over the Mediterranean'', McKay, 1975 ...
'' (1974) – School hostages rescue. * '' Airstrike on Lebanon'' (1974) – As a response to the Ma'alot massacre, next day Israeli airplanes bombed several
DFLP The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP; ar, الجبهة الديموقراطية لتحرير فلسطين, ''al-Jabha al-Dīmūqrāṭiyya li-Taḥrīr Filasṭīn'') is a secular Palestinian people, Palestinian Marxism ...
offices and training bases in seven Palestinian refugee camps and villages in southern Lebanon, killing at least 27 people and leaving 138 injured. * ''
Savoy Operation The Savoy Hotel attack was a terrorist attack by the Palestine Liberation Organization against the Savoy Hotel in Tel Aviv, Israel, on 4–5 March 1975. Background The operation was planned by Abu Jihad. Initial Palestinian planning had cal ...
'' (1975) – Hotel hostages rescue. * ''
Operation Entebbe Operation Entebbe, also known as the Entebbe Raid or Operation Thunderbolt, was a counter-terrorist hostage-rescue mission carried out by commandos of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on 4 July 1976. A week ear ...
'' (1976) – A
counter-terrorist Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or el ...
hostage-rescue mission carried out by the IDF at
Entebbe Airport Entebbe International Airport is the only international airport in Uganda. It is located about southwest of the town of Entebbe, on the northern shores of Lake Victoria. This is approximately by road south-west of the central business distric ...
in
Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...
on July 4, 1976, in order to save 105 Jewish hostages and the crew of Air France flight 319, whom were abducted during a flight from Israel. Although the kidnappers entrenched themselves in a hostile country, the operation was successful and almost all the hostages were rescued safely. * '' Coastal Road Massacre'' (1978) – Bus hostages rescue. * ''
Operation Litani The 1978 South Lebanon conflict (codenamed Operation Litani by Israel) began after Israel invaded southern Lebanon up to the Litani River in March 1978, in response to the Coastal Road massacre near Tel Aviv by Lebanon-based Palestinian mi ...
'' (1978) – The first Israeli large-scale invasion of Lebanon which was carried out by the Israel Defense Forces in order to expel PLO forces from the territory. * ''
Misgav Am Misgav Am ( he, מִשְׂגַּב עָם, ''lit.'' Fortress of the People) is a kibbutz in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel. Located close to the border with Lebanon, facing the Lebanese town of Odaisseh, and near the Israeli town of Kiryat ...
'' (1980) – Kibbutz hostages rescue. * ''
Operation Opera Operation Opera ( he, מבצע אופרה), also known as Operation Babylon, was a surprise airstrike conducted by the Israeli Air Force on 7 June 1981, which destroyed an unfinished Iraqi nuclear reactor located southeast of Baghdad, Iraq. ...
'' (1981) – A surprise
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i air strike that destroyed the
Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
i nuclear reactor under construction in
Osirak Operation Opera ( he, מבצע אופרה), also known as Operation Babylon, was a surprise airstrike conducted by the Israeli Air Force on 7 June 1981, which destroyed an unfinished Iraqi nuclear reactor located southeast of Baghdad, Iraq. ...
. * '' Damour Airstrike'' (1982) – On 21 April 1982, after a landmine killed an Israeli officer while he was visiting a
South Lebanese Army The South Lebanon Army or South Lebanese Army (SLA; ar, جيش لبنان الجنوبي, Jayš Lubnān al-Janūbiyy), also known as the Lahad Army ( ar, جيش لحد, label=none) and referred to as the De Facto Forces (DFF) by the United Nat ...
gun emplacement in Taibe, Israeli airplanes attacked the Palestinian-controlled coastal town of
Damour Damour ( ar, الدامور) is a Lebanese Christian town that is south of Beirut. The name of the town is derived from the name of the Phoenician god Damoros who symbolized immortality ( in Arabic). Damour also remained the capital of Mount ...
, killing 23 people. * ''
Kav 300 affair The Bus 300 affair (), also known as Kav 300 affair, was a 1984 incident in which Shin Bet members executed two Palestinian bus hijackers, immediately after the hostage crisis incident ended and they had been captured. After the incident, the Sh ...
'' (1984) – Bus hostages rescue. * ''
Operation Moses Operation Moses ( he, מִבְצָע מֹשֶׁה, ''Mivtza Moshe'') was the covert evacuation of Ethiopian Jews (known as the "Beta Israel" community or "Falashas") from Sudan during a civil war that caused a famine in 1984. Originally called '' ...
'' (1984) – Covert removal of some 8,000 Ethiopian Jews from Sudan to Israel during a famine. * ''Operation Wooden Leg'' (1985) –
Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; he, זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, tl, "Air and Space Arm", commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defens ...
raid against the Palestine Liberation Organization's headquarters in Hammam al-Shatt, Tunisia, as a response to the killing of three Israeli civilians by the PLO on their yacht off the coast of Larnaca, Cyprus. * ''Operation Joshua'' (1985) – Removal of 494 Ethiopian Jews from Sudan to Israel. * ''Mothers' Bus attack, Mothers' Bus rescue'' (1988) – Assault to a kidnapped bus and hostage release, carried out by Yamam counter-terrorist unit. * ''Tunis Raid'' (1988) – Assassination of Abu Jihad in Tunis. * ''Abdul-Karim Obeid, Sheik Abdul-Karim Obeid kidnapping'' (1989) – Capture of a senior Hezbollah member in
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
. * ''Operation Solomon'' (1991) – Israeli military operation to airlift Ethiopian Jews to Israel. * ''Abbas al-Musawi#Assassination, Abbas al-Musawi killing'' (1992) – Military operation which killed Hezbollah leader Abbas al-Musawi. * ''Operation Bramble Bush, Bramble Bush'' (1992) – Aborted Israeli plan to kill Saddam Hussein.


1993–2000


1982–2000 South Lebanon conflict

* ''Operation Accountability'' (25–31 July 1993) – A week-long IDF operation in
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
to attack Hezbollah positions. Israel specified three purposes of the operation: to strike directly at Hezbollah, to make it difficult for Hezbollah to use southern Lebanon as a base for striking Israel and to displace refugees in the hopes of pressuring the Lebanese government to intervene against Hezbollah. * ''1994 Israeli airstrike on Lebanon, Airstrike on Lebanon'' (3 June 1994) – Israeli Air Force, IAF airstrike in the Beqaa Valley in which more than thirty members of Hezbollah were killed. * ''Operation Grapes of Wrath'' (11–27 April 1996) – A sixteen-day military operation carried out by the IDF in southern Lebanon as a result of Hezbollah's Katyusha rocket launcher, Katyusha List of Lebanese rocket attacks on Israel, rocket attacks on Israeli population centers along the border with Lebanon.


Additional Israeli military operations

* ''Mustafa Dirani, Mustafa Dirani kidnapping'' (1994) – Kidnapping of a senior Amal Movement, Amal officer (see Ron Arad (pilot), Ron Arad). * ''Kidnapping and murder of Nachshon Wachsman#Rescue attempt, Wachsman rescue attempt'' (1994) – Failed rescue attempt of Kidnapping and murder of Nachshon Wachsman, Nachshon Wachsman.


2000–2005


2000–2005 Second Intifada

* ''Santorini affair, Santorini'' (7 May 2001) – An
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i seizure of the Palestinian Authority, Palestinian cargo ship, freighter "Santorini affair, Santorini" near the shores of Haifa which was on her way from
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
to the shores of the Gaza Strip and was found to be carrying a massive amount of weaponry. * ''Operation Noah's Ark (2002), Operation Noah's Ark'' (3 January 2002) – An
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i seizure of the Palestinian Authority, Palestinian cargo ship, freighter "Karine A" in the Red Sea which was on her way to the shores of the Gaza Strip and was found to be carrying 50 tons of weapons, including short-range Katyusha rockets, antitank missiles and high explosives. * ''Operation Defensive Shield'' (29 March – 3 May 2002) – Large-scale
counter-terrorist Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or el ...
operation conducted by the
IDF IDF or idf may refer to: Defence forces * Irish Defence Forces * Israel Defense Forces *Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006 * Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917 Organizations * Israeli Diving Federation * Interac ...
into Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank aimed to halt Palestinian List of Palestinian suicide attacks, suicide bombings against civilians in Israel during the Second Intifada, which results in extensive damage to terrorist infrastructure and an important decrease of Palestinian attacks. ** ''Battle of Jenin (2002), Battle of Jenin'' (April 1–11) – Israel attacked Palestinian militants in the city of Jenin. ** ''Siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Battle of Bethlehem'' (2 April–10 May) – Israel occupied Bethlehem and tried to capture wanted Palestinian militants who were hiding in the Church of the Nativity. ** ''Battle of Nablus'' (April 3–8) – Israel attacked Palestinian militants in the city of Nablus. * ''Operation Determined Path'' (began on June 22, 2002) – A military operation carried out by the Israel Defense Forces, following Operation Defensive Shield, with the goal of reaching some of the unreached objectives set forth for Defensive Shield, especially in the northern West Bank. * ''Abu Hasan (ship), Abu Hasan'' (October 5, 2003) – Israeli capture of a vessel on course to the Gaza Strip from Lebanon. * ''Operation Rainbow (2004), Operation Rainbow'' (May 18–23, 2004) – IDF
counter-terrorist Counterterrorism (also spelled counter-terrorism), also known as anti-terrorism, incorporates the practices, military tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, law enforcement, business, and intelligence agencies use to combat or el ...
operation aimed at damaging the terrorism, terrorist infrastructure and creating a safer environment for the IDF soldiers along the Philadelphi Route. Additional goals were to locate Gaza Strip smuggling tunnels, smuggling tunnels connecting the Gaza Strip to Egypt and preventing a shipment of SA-7 Grail, Strela-2 (SA-7 Grail) shoulder-launched Surface-to-air missile, anti-aircraft missiles, AT-3 Sagger anti-tank guided missiles and other long-range rockets, stored on the Egyptian side of the border, from being smuggled into the Gaza Strip. * ''Operation Days of Penitence'' (30 September – 16 October 2004) – An IDF operation conducted in northern Gaza Strip which focused on the town of Beit Hanoun, Beit Lahia and Jabalia refugee camp, which were used as launching sites of Qassam rockets at the
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i town of Sderot and other Israeli populated areas in the region.


Additional Israeli military operations

*''2000–2006 Shebaa Farms conflict, Shebaa Farms conflict'' (7 October 2000 – 12 July 2006) – Low level conflict in the Lebanese-Israeli border which preceded 2006 Lebanon War, 2006 war. * ''Ain es Saheb airstrike'' (5 October 2003) –
Israeli Air Force The Israeli Air Force (IAF; he, זְרוֹעַ הָאֲוִיר וְהֶחָלָל, Zroa HaAvir VeHahalal, tl, "Air and Space Arm", commonly known as , ''Kheil HaAvir'', "Air Corps") operates as the aerial warfare branch of the Israel Defens ...
operation against an alleged Palestinian militant training camp in Ain es Saheb, Syria.


2005–2011


2006 Lebanon War

* ''Operation Just Reward'' (12 July – 14 August 2006) –
Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
i counterattack which began with air force bombing of Hezbollah positions in Southern Lebanon. ** ''Operation Sharp and Smooth'' (August 1–2) – Israel Defense Forces raid on a Hezbollah-run hospital in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. ** ''Tyre raid'' (August 4) – Night mission carried out by the Israel Defense Forces frogmen, Shayetet 13, in the southern Lebanon town of Tyre. It targeted the Hezbollah cell responsible for the rocket attack on Hadera on the previous day. ** ''Operation Changing Direction 11'' (August 11–14) – Final offensive push by the Israel Defense Forces during the Lebanon War.


Additional Israeli military operations

* ''Israel's unilateral disengagement plan, Operation Shevet Ahim'' (17 August – 12 September 2005) – Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip. * ''Operation Bringing Home the Goods'' (March 14, 2006) – IDF military operation in the Jericho prison in order to capture several Palestinian prisoners located there who assassinated the Israeli politician Rehavam Ze'evi. The operation was conducted as a result of the expressed intentions of the newly elected Hamas government to release these prisoners. * ''Operation Summer Rains'' (28 June – 26 November 2006) – IDF operation held in the Gaza Strip in response to the killing of two soldiers and the kidnapping of the Israeli soldier Corporal Gilad Shalit on June 25, 2006, and the firing of Qassam rockets toward Israel. ** ''Operation Autumn Clouds (2006), Operation Autumn Clouds'' (31 October – 7 November) – Israel attacked Palestinian militants in Beit Hanoun. * ''Operation Orchard'' (6 September 2007) – An airstrike in northern Syria against an alleged nuclear site. Israel was blamed for the incident and never admitted to the attack until 2018. * ''Operation Hot Winter'' (28 February – 3 March 2008) – Israel Defense Forces military campaign in the Gaza Strip launched in response to the constant firing of Qassam rockets from the Strip by Hamas. * ''Operation Cast Lead'' (27 December 2008 – 18 January 2009) – A large-scale IDF operation held in the Gaza Strip which seriously damaged the paramilitary infrastructure of Hamas. Israel claimed that the strikes were a response to frequent Palestinian Qassam rocket and Mortar (weapon), mortar fire on its southern civilian communities. * ''2009 Sudan airstrikes, Sudan Air Strikes'' (January 2009) – An alleged attack against Iranian weapons being smuggled to the Gaza Strip through Sudan. Israel was proposed as an alleged perpetrator. * ''Operation Four Species'' (4 November 2009) – Capture of MV Francop ship in the eastern Mediterranean Sea and its cargo of hundreds of tons of weapons allegedly bound from the Islamic Republic of Iran to Hezbollah, carried out by Israeli navy commandos of Shayetet 13. * ''Gaza flotilla raid, Operation Sea Breeze'' (31 May 2010) – An operation carried out by the
IDF IDF or idf may refer to: Defence forces * Irish Defence Forces * Israel Defense Forces *Iceland Defense Force, of the US Armed Forces, 1951-2006 * Indian Defence Force, a part-time force, 1917 Organizations * Israeli Diving Federation * Interac ...
frogmen, Shayetet 13, in the international waters of the Mediterranean Sea, 66 miles outside of Israel's territorial waters. During the operation the Israeli forces boarded the ''Gaza Freedom Flotilla#Ships, Gaza Freedom Flotilla'' of six ships carrying international activists whom were planning to break the 2007–present blockade of the Gaza Strip, Israeli and Egyptian blockade of Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid. During the takeover of the ships, bulletproof vests, night vision device, night-vision goggles and gas masks were found on the ship. A violent confrontation developed between the soldiers and the activists aboard the main ship of the convoy, the "MV Mavi Marmara", which resulted in the killing of at least nine activists. According to the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, 8 of the 9 passengers killed belonged to IHH (Turkish NGO), IHH, a Turkish-based charity organization accused of having ties to Hamas and Al-Qaeda by Israeli and French intelligence officials.


International operations

* ''Operation Active Endeavour'' (16 October 2006 – present) – Israeli participation in NATO maritime anti-terrorism surveillance in the Mediterranean.


2011–present


Gaza Strip operations

* ''2011 southern Israel cross-border attacks#Israeli response in the Gaza Strip, Gaza Strip air raids'' (18–19 August 2011) – A series of targeted killings and raids on Popular Resistance Committees, PRC targets in Gaza, in response to 2011 southern Israel cross-border attacks, attacks on southern Israel. * ''Operation Returning Echo'' (9–14 March 2012) – A series of Palestinian rocket attacks and Israeli reprisals following the targeted killing of Popular Resistance Committees, PRC chief. * ''Operation Pillar of Defense'' (14–21 November 2012) – In response to over a hundred rocket attacks on southern Israeli cities, Israel began an operation in Gaza with the targeted killing of Ahmed Jabari, chief of Hamas military wing, and airstrikes against twenty underground sites housing long-range missile launchers capable of striking Tel Aviv. *''Operation Protective Edge'' (8 July – 26 August 2014) – The IDF ended Operation Brother's Keeper, which brought tension in the region and increased rocket fire from Gaza at Israel and commenced Operation Protective Edge to retaliate on rocket fire. *''Operation Wall Guardian'' (May 2021) *''Operation Breaking Dawn'' (5 August 2022)


Other operations

* ''Victoria Affair, Operation Iron Law'' (15 March 2011) – Israel seized a ship from Syria bringing Iranian weapons to Gaza. * ''Yarmouk munitions factory explosion, Khartoum airstrike'' (23 October 2012) – Bombing of a Sudanese weapon factory south of Khartoum, which was blamed on IAF by Sudan. Israel denied the allegations. * ''Operation Full Disclosure'' (5 March 2014) – Israeli navy interception of the Klos-C cargo ship, which was used by Iran to smuggle dozens of long-range rockets to Gaza, including Syrian-manufactured M-302 rockets.


Strikes and alleged strikes in Syria

* ''January 2013 Rif Dimashq airstrike, Jamraya airstrike'' (30 January 2013) – Alleged Israeli airstrike on a Syrian convoy transporting weapons to Hezbollah. Other sources stated the targeted site was a Syrian Scientific Studies and Research Center, military research center in Jamraya responsible for developing biological and chemical weapons. * ''May 2013 Rif Dimashq airstrikes, Airstrikes on Syria'' (May 3 and 5, 2013) – Airstrikes on Syria against long-ranged weapons sent from Iran to Hezbollah. * ''July 2013 Latakia explosion, Latakia explosion'' (5 July 2013) – Alleged Israeli airstrike on a Syrian depot containing Russian-made Yakhont anti-ship missiles. * ''Snawbar airstrike'' (30 October 2013) – Alleged Israeli airstrike at an air defense site in Snawbar. * ''Latakia attack'' (26 January 2014) – Alleged Israeli airstrike against a Syrian warehouse of S-300 missiles. * ''Beqaa Valley airstrike'' (24 February 2014) – Two airstrikes against a Hezbollah missile base in Lebanon near the border with Syria. * ''December 2014 Rif Dimashq airstrikes, Rif Dimashq airstrikes'' (7 December 2014) – Alleged Israeli airstrikes in Syria against a warehouse of advanced S-300 missiles, which were en route to Hezbollah in Lebanon. * ''January 2015 Mazraat Amal incident, Mazraat Amal airstrike'' (18 January 2015) – Alleged Israeli airstrike in Quneitra against Hezbollah and Iranian operatives. * ''April 2015 Qalamoun incident, Qalamoun airstrike'' (25 April 2015) – Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah camps and weapons convoys in two brigade bases of Qalamoun region. * ''Bekaa Valley airstrike'' (21 June 2015) – Israeli airstrike against targets in Lebanon's western Bekaa Valley. * ''August 2015 Syria Airstrikes'' (August 20–21 2015) – Israel launched airstrikes in Syria, after four rockets hit the Golan Heights and Upper Galilee. * ''Qalamoun airstrike'' (31 October 2015) – alleged Israeli airstrike on Hezbollah targets in southern Syria, including a weapons convoy. * ''November 2015 Israeli airstrike'' (11 November 2015) – alleged Israeli airstrike near Damascus airport against Hezbollah weapons warehouses. * ''November 2016 Israeli airstrike'' (30 November 2016) – alleged Israeli airstrike against a Syrian military compound in Damascus and a Hezbollah weapons convoy in the Damascus-Beirut highway. * ''December 2016 Israeli airstrike'' (7 December 2016) – Alleged Israeli airstrike against the Mezzeh airbase near Damascus. A Syrian opposition group said the target was a convoy of chemical weapons en route to Hezbollah. * ''January 2017 Israeli airstrike'' (12 January 2017) – Another alleged Israeli airstrike against the Mezzeh airbase near Damascus, targeting an ammunition depot. * ''February 2017 Israeli airstrike'' (22 February 2017) – Alleged Israeli airstrike on a Hezbollah weapons shipment near Damascus. * ''March 2017 Israeli airstrikes in Syria, March 2017 Israeli airstrike'' (17 March 2017) – Alleged incident in which several S-200 (missile), S-200 missiles were fired at Israeli jet fighters attacking targets in Syria, and one missile was shot down by an "aerial defense system", likely the Arrow 3. * ''April 2017 Israeli airstrike'' (27 April 2017) – Alleged Israeli airstrike felt in Damascus International Airport. The blast was reportedly felt away. Two rebel sources told Reuters that "five strikes hit an ammunition depot used by Iran-backed militias." * ''September 2017 Israeli airstrikes'' (7-21 September 2017) - Israeli airstrikes targeted a chemical facility near the Mediterranean coast (7 September) and an arms depot near Damascus (21 September) * ''October 2017 Israeli airstrike'' (16 October 2017) – Israeli airstrike destroyed an anti-aircraft battery near Damascus. * ''November 2017 Israeli airstrike'' (1 November 2017) – Alleged Israeli airstrike south of Homs. * ''December 2017 Israeli airstrikes'' (3-4 December, 2017) - Israeli airstrikes targeted a military site (3 December) and a scientific research center (4 December), both near Damascus. * February 2018 Israel–Syria incident (10 February 2018) - An Israeli General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-16 was shot down by the Syrian Air Defense Force after conducting an air raid on Iran-backed positions inside Syria. The aircraft was part of a larger Israeli aerial dispatch which Israel said was sent in response to detection of an Iranian drone spying on Israel. * May 2018 Israel–Iran incidents (10 May 2018) - After Iranian forces reportedly fired around 20 projectiles towards Israeli army positions in the Golan Heights without causing damage or casualties, Israel responded with airstrikes against Iranian bases in Syria. * Syria missile strikes (September 2018) (17 September 2018) * Syria says Israeli jets carry out airstrike near Aleppo, targeted several depots at an industrial zone near Aleppo Airport. At least four warehouse guards were killed. (28 March 2019) * Syria missile strikes (August 2019) (25 August 2019) * Syria missile strikes (November 2019) (20 November 2019) * Israeli air force killed 23 Syrian and foreign fighters, including Eight Syrian air defense soldiers on multiple strikes in Rif-Dimashq Governorate and Daraa. (6 February 2020) * Israeli airstrikes hit Syrian army and paramilitaries, including Hezbollah fighters positions in south of Damascus and Daraa, killing one civilian, three government troops, and seven foreign fighters. (31 August 2020) * Israel launches air strikes on Iran-linked targets in Syria. The strikes killed 10, including three Syrian soldiers and at least five Iranians. (18 November 2020) * Syria's military reported Israeli warplanes have bombed locations south of the capital Damascus, killing at least eight pro-Iran militias fighters. (24 November 2020) * Israeli airstrikes target pro-Iran weapons facilities in Hama, kill 6. Missiles were reportedly launched over Lebanese territory. (25 December 2020) * Israeli airstrikes hit sites around Damascus, reportedly killed three Iran-backed fighters. (6 January 2021) * Israeli airstrikes on multiple locations in eastern Syria killed 57 regime forces and Shia militia fighters. This was the deadliest attack by Israel forces since the start of the conflict. (12-13 January 2021)


See also

* History of the Israel Defense Forces * History of the Israeli Air Force * Israeli casualties of war * List of Mossad operations * List of wars involving Israel * Military operations of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict * Violent conflicts involving the Yishuv


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List of the Israel Defense Forces operations Military operations involving Israel, Israel Defense Forces Israeli military-related lists Lists of military operations, Israel Defense Forces