Operation Olive Leaves
Encyclopedia
Operation Olive Leaves also known as Operation Kinneret
(the Israeli name for the Sea of Galilee
) was an Israeli reprisal operation undertaken on December 10-11, 1955 against fortified Syrian emplacements near the north-eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee. The raid was prompted by repeated Syrian attacks on Israeli fishing in the Sea of Galilee. The successful operation resulted in the destruction of the Syrian emplacements. The Syrians also sustained fifty-four killed in action. Another thirty were taken prisoner. There were six IDF fatalities.
and Syria
. Disputes soon arose concerning sovereignty over the DZs leading to periodic border clashes and constant border tensions. Despite the fact that the international border passed inland from the east bank of the Sea of Galilee thus placing the entire sea and surrounding shoreline under Israeli sovereignty, Syrian gunners continued to harass Israeli fishermen. Moreover, there were a number of border transgressions involving Syrian fishermen and farmers, who, under the protection of Syrian guns, continued utilize the sea for fishing and irrigation. Israeli patrol vessels sent to enforce Israeli sovereignty rights were frequently fired upon from Syrian emplacements east of the shoreline.
was in the United States at the time and so Ben Gurion was also acting as Prime Minister in his absence. The operation would be Israel’s response to an “extended period of Syrian provocative actions and extended shootings.” The operational objectives of the mission were to strike at the Syrians, destroy military emplacements on the shoreline and take prisoners. These were to be exchanged for four Israelis held captive by Syria under brutal conditions. Ariel Sharon
was given overall command of the operation. On the night of 11-12 December 1955 elements of the 890th Paratroop Battalion, augmented by units of Aharon Davidi
’s 771 Reserve Paratroop Battalion as well as units from the Nahal and Givati Brigades commenced their attack. The complex operation involved a two-column attack from the north and south as well as amphibious assaults. The combined force stuck Syrian emplacements all along the Kinneret’s northeastern shoreline north of Kibbutz Ein Gev until the Jordan River estuary. The attack was successful and all the Syrian emplacements were destroyed. The Syrians suffered fifty-four killed in action and another thirty Syrian soldiers were taken prisoner. There were six Israeli fatalities. Among these was Company Commander Yitzchak Ben Menachem, a highly regarded soldier and hero of Israel's War of Independence who was killed by a Syrian hand grenade while attacking Syrian positions near Akib. His death notwithstanding, the mission was regarded as an unmitigated success. Political fallout generated by the operation would later prompt Ben Gurion to comment, somewhat sarcastically, that it may have been “too successful.”
Kinneret
Kinneret or Kineret may refer to:* Sea of Galilee, Israel's largest freshwater lake** Kinneret, Israel, village southwest of the lake** Kvutzat Kinneret, kibbutz southwest of the lake** Kinneret College, college south of the lake...
(the Israeli name for the Sea of Galilee
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
) was an Israeli reprisal operation undertaken on December 10-11, 1955 against fortified Syrian emplacements near the north-eastern shores of the Sea of Galilee. The raid was prompted by repeated Syrian attacks on Israeli fishing in the Sea of Galilee. The successful operation resulted in the destruction of the Syrian emplacements. The Syrians also sustained fifty-four killed in action. Another thirty were taken prisoner. There were six IDF fatalities.
Background
Following the Arab-Israeli war of 1948, Syria refused to sign a peace treaty with Israel but did agree to stipulate to an armistice. The armistice arrangement, signed on July 20, 1949 provided for the establishment of demilitarized zones (DZ) on the border between IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
. Disputes soon arose concerning sovereignty over the DZs leading to periodic border clashes and constant border tensions. Despite the fact that the international border passed inland from the east bank of the Sea of Galilee thus placing the entire sea and surrounding shoreline under Israeli sovereignty, Syrian gunners continued to harass Israeli fishermen. Moreover, there were a number of border transgressions involving Syrian fishermen and farmers, who, under the protection of Syrian guns, continued utilize the sea for fishing and irrigation. Israeli patrol vessels sent to enforce Israeli sovereignty rights were frequently fired upon from Syrian emplacements east of the shoreline.
The battle
Faced with repeated Syrian border transgressions, the Israelis decided that a reprisal was necessary and a large-scale operation was authorized by Defense Minister David Ben Gurion. Prime Minister Moshe SharettMoshe Sharett
Moshe Sharett on 15 October 1894, died 7 July 1965) was the second Prime Minister of Israel , serving for a little under two years between David Ben-Gurion's two terms.-Early life:...
was in the United States at the time and so Ben Gurion was also acting as Prime Minister in his absence. The operation would be Israel’s response to an “extended period of Syrian provocative actions and extended shootings.” The operational objectives of the mission were to strike at the Syrians, destroy military emplacements on the shoreline and take prisoners. These were to be exchanged for four Israelis held captive by Syria under brutal conditions. Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
was given overall command of the operation. On the night of 11-12 December 1955 elements of the 890th Paratroop Battalion, augmented by units of Aharon Davidi
Aharon Davidi
Aharon Davidi is an Israeli general and founder of the Sar-El volunteer program of the IDF.-Biography:He was born in Israel as the youngest son of an immigrant family from Bender, . At the age of fifteen, he served in the Haganah and Palmach...
’s 771 Reserve Paratroop Battalion as well as units from the Nahal and Givati Brigades commenced their attack. The complex operation involved a two-column attack from the north and south as well as amphibious assaults. The combined force stuck Syrian emplacements all along the Kinneret’s northeastern shoreline north of Kibbutz Ein Gev until the Jordan River estuary. The attack was successful and all the Syrian emplacements were destroyed. The Syrians suffered fifty-four killed in action and another thirty Syrian soldiers were taken prisoner. There were six Israeli fatalities. Among these was Company Commander Yitzchak Ben Menachem, a highly regarded soldier and hero of Israel's War of Independence who was killed by a Syrian hand grenade while attacking Syrian positions near Akib. His death notwithstanding, the mission was regarded as an unmitigated success. Political fallout generated by the operation would later prompt Ben Gurion to comment, somewhat sarcastically, that it may have been “too successful.”