Operation Thunderbolt: The Raid On Entebbe: A Fireside Chat With Sassy Reuven, IDF Paratrooper Who Participated In Uganda

In late June 1976, a group of terrorists belonging to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and a German allied group hijacked a plane with more than 250 people on board as it made its way from Tel Aviv to Paris, with a stopover in Athens. The hijackers demanded cash payments and the release of Palestinian prisoners and eventually made their way to Entebbe Airport, in Kampala, Uganda, where President Idi Amin had welcomed them. Israel's response, Operation Thunderbolt, came within days, and in a famous hostage rescue, the Israel Defence Forces carried out a daring nighttime raid, rescuing virtually all survivors except one, suffering only one death, that of Yoni Netanyahu, the unit's commander. Sassy Reuven was on the ground. As an elite paratrooper at the time, he was selected to participate in Operation Thunderbolt and was on the ground during the incredible mission. Sassy joins us on this week's podcast. He is a sought-after speaker who retells his experiences to audiences around the world. Welcome to The Honest Report podcast.