The IDF General Staff's elite special-operations force known
as Sayeret Matkal, trained in 1992 to assassinate Iraqi
leader Saddam Hussein by sending commandos to Iraq who would
fire sophisticated missiles at him during the funeral of his
father-in-law. The plan was canceled after an accident that
resulted in the deaths of five soldiers that took place in
the presence of the IDF commander at the time, Ehud Barak.
It was only with the capture of Saddam Hussein announced last
Sunday that Israeli military censorship allowed the full
story to be published.
Saddam Hussein was captured by American troops last Shabbos,
but the news was withheld for 18 hours while his identity was
confirmed. Saddam was found hiding in a crude hole dug in the
courtyard of a farmhouse on the banks of the Tigris
(Chidekel), across the river from one of his dozens of
magnificent palaces. The cruel tyrant was caught hiding like
a rodent, with a big beard and a generally unkempt
appearance.
The soldiers who pulled him out of his hole said that he
seemed somewhat muddled, apparently from hiding in such
cramped quarters. His first words (uttered in a halting
English) were, "I am Saddam Hussein, president of Iraq. I am
willing to negotiate."
One of his captors answered, "President Bush sends his
regards."
The next day, the whole world knew that Saddam was finally in
a situation in which he will be brought to account for his
crimes. Photographs showing the state in which he was found
were broadcast, as well as other pictures taken after he was
cleaned up. The Americans also publicized humiliating
pictures of him being examined by a US Army doctor using a
tongue depressor and being checked for the presence of
lice.
No definite plans were announced for a trial. The Americans
certainly will spend considerable time interrogating him.
Only three days before Saddam was captured, the interim Iraqi
government published regulations about a framework for a
trial, and the expectation is that Saddam will be tried by
representatives of the Iraqi people themselves.
*
The Israeli military proposed a plan to kill Saddam in
retaliation for Iraq's firing 39 Scud missiles at Israel
during the 1991 Gulf war, and in the belief that the Iraqi
leader posed a continuing threat to the Jewish state.
Preparations were approved but the plan was never brought
before the government for final approval. Critics warned that
whether it succeeded or failed, it could have triggered Iraqi
retaliation in the form of a biological attack.
At the time, Saddam's father-in-law was very sick and was
expected to die. Israeli military intelligence had determined
that Saddam himself, and not one of his doubles, would attend
the funeral in Saddam's home town, and the assassination
could be carried out on that occasion.
The commandos would be flown secretly to Iraq and would set
up a few kilometers from the cemetery. During the funeral
they would fire two specially-designed missiles that would
home in on Saddam, who wore a lighter color military uniform
than other soldiers.
After the assassination, the commandos were to be flown out
of Iraq on an Israeli plane that would take off from a
temporary airfield built in Iraq. The troops were said to
have been volunteers, who understood that they were to "fight
to the death" and not to allow themselves to be captured if
something went wrong.
The training mishap occurred during one of the final run-
throughs on Nov. 5, 1992, at the large Tzeelim training base
in the southern Negev.
The five soldiers, also members of Sayeret Matkal, were
playing the part of Saddam Hussein and his bodyguards, and
the commandos were to fire a dummy missile at them. In a
tragic mistake, a live missile was substituted and the five
were killed. Six others were wounded.
Present was IDF Chief of Staff Ehud Barak who left very
quickly after the accident. His actions led to accusations
that he behaved improperly, but a special investigation
cleared him of any wrongdoing. Nonetheless, the incident
became memorable from a phrase coined by one of his critics
who called him "Ehud Barach" because he left so quickly.
The mishap led to cancellation of the assassination attempt.
Saddam himself did later attend the funeral of his father-in-
law.
The fact that the Chief of Staff was present during a
training exercise, led to rumors that it was preparation for
something important. The possibility that it was aimed at
Saddam was mentioned. Israeli military censorship clamped a
tight lid on the accident and on the purpose of the
training.
Two foreign newspapers printed stories that the target was
Lebanese Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah. As a
result, the Israeli government suspended the press
credentials of the papers' reporters in Israel, charging that
they had broken censorship rules.
Maariv reported on Tuesday that the Nasrallah story
was a government plant to distract reporters from the real
target, and the suspension of the reporters' press
credentials was part of the deception.
Shabtai Shavit, a former Mossad chief, told Army Radio
Tuesday that he is afraid that the publication of the mission
training may cause Israel serious security harm.
