Jules Yusuf Jammal () is said to have been a

Syrian military The Syrian Armed Forces () are the military forces of Syria. Up until the fall of Bashar al-Assad's Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Syria Region, Ba'ath Party Ba'athist Syria, regime in December 2024, the Syrian Arab Armed Forces were the sta ...

officer who killed himself in a

suicide attack A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is ofte ...

during the

Suez Crisis The Suez Crisis, also known as the Second Arab–Israeli War, the Tripartite Aggression in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel, was a British–French–Israeli invasion of Egypt in 1956. Israel invaded on 29 October, having done so w ...

, in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. According to a narrative prevailing in the

Arab world The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

, Jammal rammed his boat into a French warship, thereby sinking the ship. This story is given credence in some sources. However, as related in the 1967 book ''Six days in June: Israel's fight for survival'' by Washington correspondent and historian

Robert J. Donovan Robert John Donovan (August 21, 1912 – August 8, 2003) was an American correspondent, author, and presidential historian. Biography Donovan attended Lafayette High School in Buffalo, New York, where he was captain of the ''Hocke Herald Trib ...

, the tale is false but gained traction in the Arab world after being aired on

Radio Cairo Egyptian Radio, also known as the Egyptian Radio's General Program (إذاعة البرنامج العام transliterated as Iza'et El-Bernameg Al-Aam) and popularly known as Radio Cairo (in Arabic إذاعة القاهرة transliterated as Iza'e ...

. It is cited as an example of the "potency of he stationto propagate myths s beingbeyond dispute."

Narrative

According to sources from Arab countries, Jammal's biography and actions are the following: He was born in al-Mishtaya, a village located between

Homs Homs ( ; ), known in pre-Islamic times as Emesa ( ; ), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level, above sea level and is located north of Damascus. Located on the Orontes River, Homs is ...

and

Latakia Latakia (; ; Syrian Arabic, Syrian pronunciation: ) is the principal port city of Syria and capital city of the Latakia Governorate located on the Mediterranean coast. Historically, it has also been known as Laodicea in Syria or Laodicea ad Mar ...

, into an

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

Orthodox Christian family. He later joined the

Syrian Navy The Syrian Arab Navy (SyAN or SAN; ) was the naval branch of the Syrian Armed Forces during the rule of the Ba'ath Party in Syria. The main role of the Syrian Navy was to defend the country's coasts and ensure the security of the territorial wat ...

as an officer. During the 1956

, he is said to have volunteered in the name of

Arab nationalism Arab nationalism () is a political ideology asserting that Arabs constitute a single nation. As a traditional nationalist ideology, it promotes Arab culture and civilization, celebrates Arab history, the Arabic language and Arabic literatur ...

to launch a suicide bomb attack against the tripartite invasion by

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

the UK The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and France into the

Sinai Peninsula The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai ( ; ; ; ), 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 a land bridge between Asia and Afri ...

in order to capture the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...

. Jammal activated a suicide bomb when he rammed his boat into a French ship, destroying it and dying in the process. It is unclear which ship he is supposed to have sunk. One source calls the ship at issue the "

liner Liner or LINER may refer to: Line drawing * Eye liner, a type of makeup * Marker pen, a porous-tip pen with its own ink source * Multiple lining tool used in engraving * A sable brush used by coach painters Linings * Acoustic liner, a no ...

''Jean D’Arc''" and another the "French warship, ''Jeanne D’Arc''". There was a French cruiser ''Jeanne d'Arc'' in service at that time, but it was decommissioned in 1964 rather than sunk. Some sources name the battleship ''Jean Bart'', which did see action in the Suez Canal, but that vessel was also not sunk; it was decommissioned in 1961.

Legacy

A 1960 film called ''The Giants of the Sea'' (in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

: عمالقة البحر pronounced "Amaliqat el Bahr") was released, directed by Al Sayyed Badir and starring

Ahmed Mazhar Ahmed Hafez Mazhar (; 8 October 1917 – 8 May 2002) was an Egyptian actor. He graduated from the military academy in 1938 Nadia Lutfi Nadia Lutfi or Nadia Lotfi (; born Paula Mohamed Mostafa Shafik (); 3 January 1937 – 4 February 2020), was an Egyptian actress. During the apex of her career, she was one of the most popular actresses of Egyptian cinema's golden age. Early ...

. Jules was played by his brother, Adel Jammal. Arab film director Gassan Abdullah announced plans to make a film about Jammal in 2008, since he was regarded as a hero for many in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

and Egypt for his Arab nationalism. The

Grand Mufti A Grand Mufti (also called Chief Mufti, State Mufti and Supreme Mufti) is a title for the leading Faqīh, Islamic jurist of a country, typically Sunni, who may oversee other muftis. Not all countries with large Sunni Muslim populations have Gra ...

of Syria, Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, mentioned Jammal in a speech aimed at

Western countries The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to various nations and states in Western Europe, Northern America, and Australasia; with some debate as to whether those in Eastern Europe and Latin America also constitute the West. ...

, warning that Syrians and Lebanese would engage in suicide bomb attacks against

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

if they bombed Syria during the

2011 Syrian uprising The Syrian revolution, also known as the Syrian Revolution of Dignity, was a series of mass protests and civilian uprisings throughout Syria – with a subsequent violent reaction by the Ba'athist regime – lasting from 15 March 2011 to 8 De ...

. He cited Jammal as an example of a non-

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

Syrian who carried out a suicide bomb martyrdom attack on the west, and warned that non-Muslims would assist Syria in those attacks.Mufti of Syria Ahmad Badr Al-Din Hassoun Threatens to Activate Suicide Bombers in Europe and the U.S.
memri.org; accessed 15 June 2015.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jammal, Jules 1932 births 1956 deaths Syrian Christians Syrian military personnel Syrian Arab nationalists