Sabena Flight 571 - Misplaced Pages

(Redirected from Sabena Flight 571 hijacking) 1972 aircraft hijacking in Lod, Israel

Sabena Flight 571
Hijacking
Israeli soldiers rescuing hostages on the plane
Date	8 May 1972
Summary	Hijacking
Site	Tel Aviv-Lod International Airport, Lod, Israel 32°00′34″N 34°52′37″E / 32.0094°N 34.8769°E / 32.0094; 34.8769
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Boeing 707-329C
Operator	Sabena
Registration	OO-SJG
Flight origin	Brussels Airport, Brussels, Belgium
Stopover	Vienna International Airport, Vienna, Austria
Destination	Lod Airport, Tel Aviv, Israel
Passengers	94 (inc. 4 hijackers)
Crew	7
Fatalities	3 (1 passenger, 2 hijackers)
Injuries	3 (2 passengers, 1 commando)
Survivors	98 (inc. 2 hijackers)

v t e Palestinian insurgency in South Lebanon
Engagements El Al Flight 426 hijacking El Al Flight 253 attack retaliation raid El Al Flight 432 attack TWA Flight 840 hijacking (1969) Avivim school bus bombing Lod Airport massacre Sabena Flight 571 1972 air raid Kiryat Shmona massacre Ma'alot massacre 1974 Nahariya attack Savoy Hotel attack Kfar Yuval hostage crisis Coastal Road massacre 1978 South Lebanon conflict 1979 Ma'alot attack 1979 Nahariya attack Misgav Am hostage crisis 1981 bombing of Lebanon 1982 Lebanon War siege of Beirut International incidents Munich massacre Mossad assassinations following the Munich massacre 1972 raid Israeli Bangkok Embassy hostage crisis 1973 raid Sabena Flight 571 hijacking Attack on the Saudi Embassy in Khartoum 1973 New York City bomb plot 1973 Athens Hellinikon International Airport attack TWA Flight 841 (1974) Pan Am Flight 110 Operation Entebbe

Palestinian insurgency
in South Lebanon

Engagements

International incidents

Sabena Flight 571 was a scheduled passenger flight from Brussels to Tel Aviv via Vienna, operated by the Belgian national airline, Sabena. On 8 May 1972, a Boeing 707 passenger aircraft operating that service, captained by British pilot Reginald Levy, DFC, was hijacked by four members of the Black September Organization, a Palestinian terrorist group. Following their instructions, Captain Levy landed the plane at Lod Airport (later Ben Gurion International Airport). The hijackers demanded that Israel release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages. The standoff was ended by an Israeli commando raid in which all of the hijackers were killed or captured.

Hijacking

The attack, planned by Ali Hassan Salameh, was carried out by a group of two men and two women who pretended to be two couples: the group's leader Ali Taha Abu Snina, plus Abed al-Aziz Atrash, Rima Tannous and Theresa Halsa. They were armed with two handguns, two hand grenades and two belts of explosives. Twenty minutes out of Vienna, the hijackers entered the cockpit. "As you can see," Captain Levy told the 90 passengers, "we have friends aboard." He concealed from the hijackers that his wife was a passenger on the plane, traveling with him to celebrate his birthday in Tel Aviv.

Soon after taking command, the hijackers separated the Jewish hostages from the others and sent them to the back of the aircraft. When the plane had landed, the hijackers demanded the release of 315 convicted Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in Israel, and threatened to blow up the airplane with its passengers. Captain Levy managed to send the Israelis a coded message requesting help. Defense Minister Moshe Dayan and Transport Minister Shimon Peres, who would become Prime Minister and later President of Israel, conducted negotiations with the hijackers while preparing a rescue operation, code-named "Operation Isotope." Captain Levy said he talked to the hijackers about everything "from navigation to sex" while the passengers and crew waited to be rescued.

On 9 May 1972 at 4:00 p.m. the rescue operation began: a team of 16 Sayeret Matkal commandos, led by Ehud Barak and including Benjamin Netanyahu, both future Israeli Prime Ministers, approached the aircraft disguised as aircraft technicians in white coveralls. Having immobilized it during the preceding night by deflating some of the landing gear tires, they convinced the hijackers that its hydraulic system needed repair. They then stormed the aircraft, killing both male hijackers within two minutes. They also captured the two female hijackers and rescued all 90 remaining passengers. Three passengers were wounded in the exchange of fire, one of whom later died of her injuries. Netanyahu was also wounded during the rescue when another commando, Marko Ashkenazi, accidentally discharged his gun as he used it to hit Theresa Halsa. The bullet passed through her and penetrated Netanyahu's bicep.

Aftermath

Halsa and Rima Tannous were eventually sentenced to life imprisonment—Halsa for 220 years. They were freed in November 1983, in a prisoner exchange after the 1982 Lebanon War.

Sabena continued to operate the aircraft for another five years, until it was purchased by Israel Aircraft Industries. It was eventually sold to the Israeli Air Force, and served as a spy plane for many years, participating in most of the Air Force's long-range operations.

Captain Levy, a Royal Air Force veteran who took part in strategic bombing missions over Germany during World War II and also in the Berlin airlift, had joined Sabena in 1952. He retired in 1982 and died of a heart attack, at a hospital near his home in Dover on 1 August 2010. The hijacking took place on his 50th birthday.

In media

From Night Flak to Hijack: It's a Small World, autobiography by Captain Reginald Levy DFC.
Sabena Hijacking: My Version, Israeli docudrama depicting the hijacking and rescue, in which three Prime Ministers of Israel were involved.

References

The aircraft was a Boeing 707-320C model. Boeing used customer codes to identify the original customer for each airframe from 1958 until 2016. 29 is the code for Sabena, hence the designation 707-329C.

^ Hevesi, Dennis (5 August 2010). "Reginald Levy Is Dead at 88; Hailed as a Hero in a '72 Hijacking". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 August 2010.
^ Jeffries, Stuart (11 November 2015). "Four hijackers and three Israeli PMs: the incredible story of Sabena flight 571". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
"Two Passengers on Hijacked Plane Seriously Wounded; Terrorists Separate Jews from Non-jews on Plane". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 11 May 1972. Retrieved 8 May 2016.
Klein, Aaron J. (2005). Striking Back: The 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre and Israel's Deadly Response. New York: Random House. p. 16. ISBN 1-920769-80-3.
Judah Ari Gross (13 August 2015). "When the prime ministers took down the hijackers". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 13 August 2015.
"Pilot's Story: Terrorists Didn't Know His Wife Was Passenger on Plane". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 11 May 1972. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
Sontag, Deborah (20 April 1999). "2 Who Share a Past Are Rivals for Israel's Future". The New York Times. pp. Section A, Page 3, Column 1.
Fountain, Nigel (23 August 2010). "Reginal Levy obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 November 2015.
"באר שבע – ה'בואינג' שנחטף בדרך לחצרים" [Be'er Sheva – a Boeing hijacked on the way to the premises]. Mynet (in Hebrew). Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2021.

External links

Israeli Special Forces History
Heves, Dennis (4 August 2010). "Reginald Levy Is Dead at 88; Hailed as a Hero in a '72 Hijacking". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 August 2010.

v t e Prominent terrorist attacks against Israelis in the history of the Arab–Israeli conflict – the 1970s
1970	Munich bus attack (February 10) Swissair Flight 330 attack (February 21) Avivim school bus bombing (May 22) Olympic Airways Flight 255 hijacking (July 22) Dawson's Field hijackings (September 6-13)
1971	Murder of the Aroyo children (January 2)
1972	Lufthansa Flight 649 (February 22–23) Sabena Flight 571 (May 8) Lod Airport massacre (May 30) Munich massacre (5–6 September) Killing of Ami Shachori (18 September) Lufthansa Flight 615 (October 29) Bangkok hostage crisis (December 28)
1973	Assassination of Yosef Alon (July 1) Schoenau ultimatum (September 28–29) Rome airport attacks and hijacking (December 17–18)
1974	Kiryat Shmona massacre (April 11) Ma'alot massacre (May 15) Nahariya attack (24–25 June) TWA Flight 841 (September 8) Paris café attack (September 15) Beit She'an attack (November 19)
1975	Orly Airport attacks (January 13 and 19) Savoy Hotel attack (March 6) Kfar Yuval hostage crisis (June 15) Zion Square refrigerator bombing (July 4) Zion Square ice cream shop bombing (November 13)
1976	Air France Flight 139 (June 27) Yeşilköy airport attack (August 11)
1977	Lufthansa Flight 181 (October 13–18)
1978	Coastal Road massacre (March 11) ‡ Orly Airport attack (May 20) London bus attack (August 20)
1979	Ma'alot attack (January 13) Nahariya massacre (April 22)
Attacks launched from the West Bank Attacks launched from the Gaza Strip Attacks launched from Lebanon Attacks launched from Jordan ‡ indicates the terrorist attack which caused the greatest amount of Israeli casualties during the 1970s List of projectile attacks from Lebanon on Israel and the Golan Heights 1960s 1980s

v t e Prominent Palestinian militancy attacks in the 1970s
Within Israel	Avivim school bus bombing (May 22, 1970) Lod Airport massacre (May 30, 1972) Kiryat Shmona massacre (April 11, 1974) Ma'alot massacre (May 15, 1974) Nahariya attack (June 24–25, 1974) Beit She'an attack (November 19, 1974) Savoy Hotel attack (March 6, 1975) Kfar Yuval hostage crisis (June 15, 1975) Zion Square refrigerator bombing (July 4, 1975) Coastal Road massacre (March 11, 1978) Nahariya massacre (April 22, 1979)
Gaza Strip	Murder of the Aroyo children (January 2, 1971)
Aircraft attacks and hijackings	Swissair Flight 330 (February 21, 1970) Olympic Airways Flight 255 hijacking (July 22, 1970) Dawson's Field hijackings (September 6–13, 1970) Lufthansa Flight 649 (February 22–23, 1972) Sabena Flight 571 (May 8, 1972) Lufthansa Flight 615 (October 29, 1972) Rome airport attacks and hijacking (December 17–18, 1973) TWA Flight 841 (September 8, 1974) Air France Flight 139 (June 27, 1976) Lufthansa Flight 181 (October 13–18, 1977)
Worldwide	Munich massacre (September 5–6, 1972) Israeli Bangkok embassy hostage crisis (December 28, 1972) Assassination of the Israeli attache in Washington (July 1, 1973) Schoenau ultimatum (September 28–29, 1973) Paris café attack (September 15, 1974) Orly Airport attacks (January, 1975) OPEC siege (December 21, 1975) Yeşilköy airport attack (August 11, 1976) Orly Airport attack (May 20, 1978) London bus attack (August 20, 1978)
Attacks launched from Lebanon 1960s 1980s

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in 1972 (1972)
Jan 7 Iberia Flight 602Jan 21 Turkish Airlines DC-9 crashJan 26 JAT Yugoslav Flight 367Feb 22 Lufthansa Flight 649Mar 3 Mohawk Airlines Flight 405Mar 14 Sterling Airways Flight 296Mar 19 EgyptAir Flight 763Apr 18 East African Airways Flight 720May 4 Aeroflot Flight B-608May 5 Alitalia Flight 112May 8 Sabena Flight 571May 16 Svetlogorsk An-24 crashMay 18 Aeroflot Flight 1491May 30 Delta Air Lines Flight 9570Jun 12 American Airlines Flight 96Jun 14 Japan Air Lines Flight 471Jun 15 Cathay Pacific Flight 700ZJun 18 British European Airways Flight 548Jun 24 Prinair Flight 191Jun 29 Lake Winnebago mid-air collisionJul 2 Pan Am Flight 841Jul 5 Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 710Jul 31 Delta Air Lines Flight 841Aug 14 Königs Wusterhausen disasterAug 16 Burma Airways Thandwe crashAug 31 Aeroflot Flight 558Sep 15 Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 130Sep 24 Japan Air Lines Flight 472Sep 24 Sacramento Canadair Sabre accidentOct 1 Aeroflot Flight 1036Oct 13 Aeroflot Flight 217Oct 13 Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571Oct 27 Air Inter Flight 696YOct 29 Lufthansa Flight 615Oct 30 Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 327Nov 10 Southern Airways Flight 49Nov 15 Ansett Australia Flight 232Nov 28 Japan Air Lines Flight 446Dec 3 Tenerife Spantax Convair CV-990 crashDec 8 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 708Dec 8 United Air Lines Flight 553Dec 8 Pakistan International Airlines Flight 631Dec 20 Chicago–O'Hare runway collisionDec 23 Braathens Flight 239Dec 29 Eastern Air Lines Flight 401Dec 31 Puerto Rico DC-7 crash
1971 ◄ ► 1973

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1972 (1972)

Jan 7 Iberia Flight 602Jan 21 Turkish Airlines DC-9 crashJan 26 JAT Yugoslav Flight 367Feb 22 Lufthansa Flight 649Mar 3 Mohawk Airlines Flight 405Mar 14 Sterling Airways Flight 296Mar 19 EgyptAir Flight 763Apr 18 East African Airways Flight 720May 4 Aeroflot Flight B-608May 5 Alitalia Flight 112May 8 Sabena Flight 571May 16 Svetlogorsk An-24 crashMay 18 Aeroflot Flight 1491May 30 Delta Air Lines Flight 9570Jun 12 American Airlines Flight 96Jun 14 Japan Air Lines Flight 471Jun 15 Cathay Pacific Flight 700ZJun 18 British European Airways Flight 548Jun 24 Prinair Flight 191Jun 29 Lake Winnebago mid-air collisionJul 2 Pan Am Flight 841Jul 5 Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 710Jul 31 Delta Air Lines Flight 841Aug 14 Königs Wusterhausen disasterAug 16 Burma Airways Thandwe crashAug 31 Aeroflot Flight 558Sep 15 Scandinavian Airlines System Flight 130Sep 24 Japan Air Lines Flight 472Sep 24 Sacramento Canadair Sabre accidentOct 1 Aeroflot Flight 1036Oct 13 Aeroflot Flight 217Oct 13 Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571Oct 27 Air Inter Flight 696YOct 29 Lufthansa Flight 615Oct 30 Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 327Nov 10 Southern Airways Flight 49Nov 15 Ansett Australia Flight 232Nov 28 Japan Air Lines Flight 446Dec 3 Tenerife Spantax Convair CV-990 crashDec 8 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 708Dec 8 United Air Lines Flight 553Dec 8 Pakistan International Airlines Flight 631Dec 20 Chicago–O'Hare runway collisionDec 23 Braathens Flight 239Dec 29 Eastern Air Lines Flight 401Dec 31 Puerto Rico DC-7 crash

1971 ◄ ► 1973

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in Israel
Sabena Flight 571 (May 1972) Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114 (February 1973) Israeli Air Force Sikorsky CH-53 Sea Stallion crash (May 1977) Negev mid-air collision (May 1983) She'ar Yashuv helicopter disaster (February 1997)

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