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{{Expand Arabic|منير روفا|fa=yes|date=March 2009}} | {{Expand Arabic|منير روفا|fa=yes|date=March 2009}} | ||
'''Munir Redfa''' ({{lang-ar|منير ردفا}}, born '''Munir Habib Jamil Rufa''' ({{lang-ar|منير حبيب جميل روفا}}) (1934 – circa 1998<ref name |
'''Munir Redfa''' ({{lang-ar|منير ردفا}}, born '''Munir Habib Jamil Rufa''' ({{lang-ar|منير حبيب جميل روفا}}) (1934 – circa 1998<ref name=ynetnews/>) was an Iraqi ], of ] ethnic origin, who ] in 1966 by ] of the Iraqi Air Force to Israel. In what is considered as one of the ]'s most successful operations, Redfa's entire extended family was smuggled safely out of Iraq to Israel. The MiG-21 fighter was evaluated by the ] and was later loaned to the ] for testing and intelligence analysis. Knowledge obtained from analysis of the aircraft was instrumental to the successes achieved by the ] in its future encounters with Arab MiG-21s.<ref name=ynetnews>{{cite news|url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3405913,00.html|work=YNet News|title=The Blue Bird legend|author=Reuven Weiss|date=May 29, 2007}}.</ref> Redfa's defection was the subject of the movie '']''. | ||
He was the second of nine children. Like many other Assyrians, his family fled to Iraq as part of the ] migration from southeast Turkey and the northwestern mountains of Iran following the ].{{ |
He was the second of nine children. Like many other Assyrians, his family fled to Iraq as part of the ] migration from southeast Turkey and the northwestern mountains of Iran following the ].{{citation needed|date=August 2013}} | ||
{{ |
{{citation needed span|date=August 2013|text=After Redfa's defection, a press conference was held during which he indicated that he had suffered from religious and ethnic discrimination in Iraq and that he did not feel that it was his home, and requested asylum in the United States. Although he was reunited with his family in Israel, he did not go to the US, contrary to his declaration, and he received Israeli citizenship. He and his family shortly thereafter moved to another western country. Shortly after Redfa's defection, Iraqi Christians were not allowed to join the air force per orders from Iraq's then-president. This order later ceased to be enforced.}} | ||
Redfa died sometime around 1998 of a heart attack.<ref name=ynetnews/> | Redfa died sometime around 1998 of a heart attack.<ref name=ynetnews/> | ||
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==External links== | ==External links== | ||
*, Jewish Virtual Library. | * , Jewish Virtual Library. | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
*] | * ] | ||
*] | * ] | ||
*] | * ] | ||
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see ]. --> | {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see ]. --> | ||
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|NAME = Redfa, Munir | ||
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|ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | ||
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|SHORT DESCRIPTION = Iraqi fighter pilot who defected to Israel | ||
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|DATE OF BIRTH = 1934 | ||
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|PLACE OF BIRTH = Iraq | ||
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|DATE OF DEATH = 1998 | ||
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|PLACE OF DEATH = | ||
}} | }} | ||
{{DEFAULTSORT:Redfa, Munir}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Redfa, Munir}} |
Revision as of 14:57, 16 August 2013
You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Arabic. (March 2009) Click for important translation instructions.
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Munir Redfa (Template:Lang-ar, born Munir Habib Jamil Rufa (Template:Lang-ar) (1934 – circa 1998) was an Iraqi fighter pilot, of Assyrian ethnic origin, who defected in 1966 by flying a MiG-21 of the Iraqi Air Force to Israel. In what is considered as one of the Mossad's most successful operations, Redfa's entire extended family was smuggled safely out of Iraq to Israel. The MiG-21 fighter was evaluated by the Israeli Air Force and was later loaned to the United States for testing and intelligence analysis. Knowledge obtained from analysis of the aircraft was instrumental to the successes achieved by the Israeli Air Force in its future encounters with Arab MiG-21s. Redfa's defection was the subject of the movie Steal the Sky.
He was the second of nine children. Like many other Assyrians, his family fled to Iraq as part of the Christian migration from southeast Turkey and the northwestern mountains of Iran following the Assyrian Genocide.
After Redfa's defection, a press conference was held during which he indicated that he had suffered from religious and ethnic discrimination in Iraq and that he did not feel that it was his home, and requested asylum in the United States. Although he was reunited with his family in Israel, he did not go to the US, contrary to his declaration, and he received Israeli citizenship. He and his family shortly thereafter moved to another western country. Shortly after Redfa's defection, Iraqi Christians were not allowed to join the air force per orders from Iraq's then-president. This order later ceased to be enforced.
Redfa died sometime around 1998 of a heart attack.
References
- ^ Reuven Weiss (May 29, 2007). "The Blue Bird legend". YNet News..
External links
- Stealing a Soviet MiG, Jewish Virtual Library.