Mossad and Munich - Page 2 - Historum

**Lawnmowerman** · July 6th, 2012, 04:49 AM

One lesson learnt from Munich is that you should stop live TV broadcasts from outside any building before you assult it.

The terrorists inside saw the Germans up on the roof of the hotel preparing to assult them on their TV.

The assult had to be abandoned and we got the fiasco at the airport as a result.

**Nemowork** · July 6th, 2012, 04:53 AM

Or be fast and surprising

BBC NEWS SAS iranian Embassy Siege 80s op nimrod - YouTube

then the media doesnt matter.

**Vladd** · July 6th, 2012, 05:10 AM

I think ITN had the better coverage

S.A.S. MOVE IN - IRANIAN EMBASSY SEIGE - LONDON - MAY 1980 - YouTube

**AlpinLuke** · July 6th, 2012, 05:19 AM

Oh yes, I saw those images in a BBC documentary about S.A.S. Really a good job. And the tactical context was even worse: not an open space like an airport, but a building.

howard38 · July 6th, 2012, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Naomasa298

Hmm, do Mossad do hostage rescue? It was an IDF unit (Sayeret Matkal) that carried out the rescue in Operation Entebbe, and I think they're the ones who specialise in that task, sort of like Germany's GSG9. Mossad provide the intelligence to enable rescues.

True, though as inept as the Munich police were the Mossad still would have stood a better chance of making a successful rescue.

**diddyriddick** · July 6th, 2012, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ancientgeezer

Mossad predates the CIA and is not a direct analogy..

One small quibble. The Israeli state was formed on May 14, 1948. The CIA had been in official existence since the prior September (not including the OSS.)

Virgil · July 6th, 2012, 03:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlpinLuke

Just for accuracy.

I make note that we don't need speculation when direct information is available. I don't know about "diplomats", but actually I can remind what was public and reported by newspapers and TV news:

in the control tower of the airport there were Zvi Zamir [Director of Mossad, not a common "diplomat" and local authorities knew he was there] and an assistant of his, Victor Cohen as observers.

They even used a megaphone to intimate to the terrorists to surrender ...

How are the Mossad viewed in Europe? I know that some must believe they overstep their bounds a little, as with the attempt in 1973 in Norway to kill the Red Prince, Salameh. They accidentally killed a waiter who looked like Salameh instead. They later killed Salameh in 79 with a car bomb in Beirut, but even that killed not only Salameh and his 4 bodyguards, but also 4 bystanders as well. Personally I do not blame Israel for being gung ho, vigilant, zealous, whatever you want to call it. I admire them for fighting the good fight, even if things sometimes go wrong. I think that a majority of my countrymen support Israel as a great ally and give them some slack. I wonder how other nations view events such as these?

**Ancientgeezer** · July 6th, 2012, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by diddyriddick

One small quibble. The Israeli state was formed on May 14, 1948. The CIA had been in official existence since the prior September (not including the OSS.)

We can quibble. Technically you are right as the National Security Act was signed in 1947, but the agency did not actually start operating until the following year, although no doubt actvities under other umbrella organisations continued. Likewise Mossad became a State agency in 1948, but that was just cosmetic as its intelligence operations, sabotage operations and assassination squads date back to the 1930s

**AlpinLuke** · July 6th, 2012, 11:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Virgil

How are the Mossad viewed in Europe? I know that some must believe they overstep their bounds a little, as with the attempt in 1973 in Norway to kill the Red Prince, Salameh. They accidentally killed a waiter who looked like Salameh instead. They later killed Salameh in 79 with a car bomb in Beirut, but even that killed not only Salameh and his 4 bodyguards, but also 4 bystanders as well. Personally I do not blame Israel for being gung ho, vigilant, zealous, whatever you want to call it. I admire them for fighting the good fight, even if things sometimes go wrong. I think that a majority of my countrymen support Israel as a great ally and give them some slack. I wonder how other nations view events such as these?

It's clear that out of official environments [where Mossad has got good relationships with EU intelligences and strict anti terrorism cooperation with some of them, Italian one included], it's a matter of local public opinion and singular episodes can build a less or more negative [or positive] image of a foreign intelligence.

Italy and foreign intelligences.

Generally Italians admire Mossad, like CIA, as for how it's organized, as for it acts ...and so on ... But Italians don't like when foreign intelligences go overboard. For example several CIA agents have been condemned by an Italian Justice Court in Milan because of the kidnapping of a Muslim [suspected of terrorism]. It was the case Abu Omar.

About Mossad in particular, so far, the Israeli intelligence hasn't generated "sensitive cases" with Italian public opinion, so that the generally positive image is still there.

Brunel · July 7th, 2012, 04:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by howard38

The Mossad would certainly have had a better chance at rescuing the hostages than the Munich police did.

They should have got the SAS to do it.

They would have gone in there, killed all the terrorists, rescued all the hostages, and would be out again all within 15 minutes or so.

After all, that's what happened during the Iranian Embassy Siege in 1980.

That's why the British are the safest citizens in the world whenever they travel abroad. If some numpty kidnaps a Brit then the SAS will be on them in no time.

Lesser countries - like France and Italy - actually pay the ransom money to free their citizens. The British, however, NEVER pay ransom money. They just send in the SAS and kill the hostage-takers.