How Mossad Erased Abu Jihad in the Boldest Assassination Ever Attempted

Описание: In the early hours of April 16, 1988, Israeli commandos executed one of the most audacious covert operations ever carried out on foreign soil: the assassination of Khalil al-Wazir—Abu Jihad—in the quiet Tunisian suburb of Sidi Bou Said. After traveling over two thousand miles by sea, evading radar, and infiltrating a sovereign nation, the assault team stormed his villa with flawless precision. Within ninety seconds, Abu Jihad was dead, struck by fifty-two bullets in an operation so swift and calculated that it stunned intelligence agencies around the world.
This assassination was far more than a tactical strike—it was a message. Abu Jihad was not only a founding member of Fatah but the strategic mind behind much of the Palestinian armed struggle, including the coordination of the Intifada. Eliminating him required not only military skill, but years of intelligence gathering, human assets on the ground, and international risk that could have plunged the region into deeper conflict. Mossad and Israeli special forces blended deception, meticulous reconnaissance, and perfect timing to achieve what had long been considered impossible.
But the consequences were unpredictable. While the raid proved a masterclass in long-range covert warfare, it failed to halt the uprising it targeted. Instead, it fueled outrage, strengthened Palestinian resolve, and amplified Abu Jihad’s legacy as a martyr. Whether seen as a necessary act of wartime strategy or a controversial violation of sovereignty, the operation remains a defining moment in the shadow war between Israel and its adversaries—an operation executed flawlessly, yet whose strategic impact remains contested to this day.