All language subtitles for Black.Ops.S01E05.Operation.Thunderbolt.1080p.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-NTb_track3_[eng]

Narrator:
An international flight
hijacked by armed terrorists

is flown to hostile territory.

Every few hours, they say that
they are going to execute us.

Narrator: Demands are made.

Deadlines are set.

[ Gun cocks ]

An elite special-forces team
known as the unit

moves into action.

To kill someone
is relatively simple.

To rescue someone
is much more complicated.

Narrator:
As time is running out,

a daring plan is launched
from thousands of Miles away.

It will stand as one of the most
bold special-force operations

in modern history.

[ Machine-gun fire ]

Narrator: Now on "black ops,"
behind the scenes of

one of the most daring rescue
missions ever made --

operation thunderbolt.

-- Captions by vitac --
www.Vitac.Com

captions paid for by
discovery communications

air France flight 139
from Tel Aviv to Paris

makes a stopover in Athens.

On board the airplane are
248 passengers and crew members.

I was putting nail Polish
on my nails,

and we were talking to the girls
sitting in front of us.

I didn't suspect anything.

Narrator: Shortly after takeoff,
terrorists storm the cockpit.

One of them takes over the radio

and announces
the flight is hijacked.

No one knows where it's headed.

In Jerusalem, a routine
cabinet meeting is interrupted,

and the message is delivered
to prime minister yitzhak rabin.

Defense minister shimon peres
is also getting the news.

Peres: A man came in

and handed me over
a small piece of information

that said that an
air France plane was hijacked.

Good evening.

An air France jet was hijacked
by palestinian guerillas today.

Narrator:
The hijacking of flight 139

is just the latest
in a string of terrorist attacks

targeting Israeli citizens.

[ Machine-gun fire ]

[ Camera shutter clicking ]
4 years earlier, in 1972,

11 Israeli athletes were killed

in an attack on their compound
at the Munich Olympics.

[ Siren wailing ]

[ Machine-gun fire ]

In the same year,

terrorists shot and killed
26 passengers

waiting for their luggage
in Tel Aviv's airport.

[ Gunfire ]

And in 1974,

terrorists sieged a high school
in northern Israel,

killing 22,

most of them young students.

[ Indistinct shouting ]

Immediately after the hijacking,

Israeli special forces
are put on high alert.

The authorities

are expecting the plane
to arrive in Tel Aviv...

But the hijackers
have a different plan.

One of them is a trained pilot.

He instructs the captain
to divert the flight to Libya.

Ben dor: He knew
exactly how to fly an airplane,

and he had
the maps that he needed,

and he followed our pilot

to see that he is taking him
wherever he wants to go.

Narrator:
On the ground in Libya,

one desperate passenger pretends
to be having a miscarriage

in an attempt to escape.

She is released

and is immediately met by
Israeli intelligence officers.

They learn from her that
there are four terrorists --

two German and two palestinian.

They're armed with
guns and grenades.

The plane continued to fly,

and we didn't know
to which destination.

Narrator:
It is headed to Africa.

In the early hours of June 28th,

air France flight 139 lands
in entebbe airport in Uganda,

more than 2,000 Miles
from Tel Aviv.

At first, the passengers think
the crisis is coming to an end.

They told us we are
going to be released in Uganda.

Narrator: But as soon as they
get off the plane,

their hopes are dashed.

There were
two rows of ugandan soldiers

standing with guns,

and we were in the middle

and they led us into
the terminal of entebbe.

That was
the second very big shock.

Ben dor: We were sure
that we are free -- free to go.

And then we saw that

lots of ugandan soldiers
are waiting for us there,

and six more terrorists
were waiting for us there.

Narrator: Instead of
being released, they're led to

an unused terminal
in entebbe airport.

They told us
that we are going to stay there.

And later, they brought us
mattresses and blankets.

Narrator: Soon, they receive
a visit from idi amin,

Uganda's unpredictable
and ruthless ruler.

He offers his services
as a mediator in the crisis.

Negotiations between the
hijackers and ugandan officials,

led by president idi amin,
were at a stalemate,

but the hijackers did
allow the plane's 256 passengers

to wait in the airport lounge.

Narrator: In Jerusalem,
the cabinet ministers

are wondering
if amin can be trusted.

Peres: We didn't know yet,

is it in coordination
with Uganda people,

was it prearranged?

We didn't
have the slightest idea.

Narrator: The hijackers still
haven't issued any demands.

The passengers,
unsure of their fate,

spend a nervous night
in entebbe airport.

In the morning,

the terrorists
make an announcement.

Davidson:
They are going to separate
part of us to the other room,

and it will be
more comfort for all of us.

It sounds reasonable.

Ben dor: They started to
call us by names.

After the first few names,

we understood that
they are calling

the Israeli people
and the Jewish people.

It was
a very frightening moment.

Narrator: For many passengers,

the process of a selection
between Jews and non-Jews

bears echoes of the holocaust.

Davidson: It's such a despair.

It's such a feeling of,
"that's it -- the end,"

because you can't do anything.

And we knew that

they are going to
release all the others.

Peres: They separated
between Jews and non-Jews.

The fact that they are Germans
and they made a separation

really made me outraged.

Narrator: In Jerusalem,

the leaders anxiously follow
the news reports from entebbe

as the terrorists
announce their demands.

But the hijackers
threatened to kill

the more than
200 remaining hostages,

including 7 Americans,

unless Israel
and 4 other countries

release 53
pro-palestinian prisoners.

Narrator: The hijackers set
a deadline for their demands.

Eiran:
The terrorists sent us a message

that if they are not
going to get the answer

in the next 12 hours
or 10 hours,

they'll start to
execute passengers one by one,

on an hourly basis.

Narrator: Israel has
a long-standing policy

not to
give in to terrorists' demands.

Defense minister shimon peres

knows he needs to start
setting in motion a response.

Peres: If we can find
a political way, why not?

But parallel, I started to
look for a military solution.

[ Machine-gun fire ]

Narrator: Peres will turn to
the Israeli defense forces.

They have a reputation as

one of the best-trained armies
in the world.

Its elite special-forces units

have carried out
many daring operations.

They had
a force that was capable.

The consequence of them failing,
I think, was great.

The consequence
of the success...

Was even greater.

Narrator:
But Uganda is 2,000 Miles away.

Staging a rescue mission
so far from home

and under such a tight deadline

seems impossible.

Israel
desperately needs more time.

Narrator: Armed hijackers
are holding hundreds of hostages

at an airport terminal
in entebbe, in Uganda.

They are demanding
the release of terrorists

jailed all around the world.

Unless their demands are met
within 24 hours,

they will start
executing hostages.

2,000 Miles away,

the Israeli leaders
are trying to devise a response.

Peres:
I thought we have a chance,

with a little bit of daring --
or much daring --

and decisiveness
and surprise and ingenuity,

to do the job.

Narrator: Any operation
would be extremely risky.

Zinke: This was
a push for an emerging country.

It happened at a period of time

where you had an emerging nation
whose destiny was uncertain.

Narrator:
But the intelligence is minimal.

They don't know
how many terrorists are involved

or if they have
the backing of the ugandan army.

They could be facing thousands

in hostile
and unfamiliar territory...

...but defense minister peres

is pushing for a plan.

The first I called in was
the commander of the air force,

whom I like very much.

I called in
the other young commanders.

They said,
"look, we have to look at a map.

"We have to check where
are the radar stations,

how can we land."

Narrator: Joshua shani,
one of Israel's top pilots,

gets an urgent phone call.

[ Telephone rings ]
Shani: It's very unusual

to get a direct call

from the commander
of the air force.

And what he wanted to know

is very basic information
about the range,

about the payload
that we can take,

about the fuel needed,

about the route
that it's possible or not to do.

I gave him, one by one,
everything he needed to know,

and then he say,
"come back to the headquarters.

We'll start planning."

[ Indistinct shouting ]
[ Gunfire ]

Narrator:
The planners need to know

how big of a threat
is the ugandan army.

They turn to muki bezer,

a commander
with Israel's special forces

who knows
the African forces well.

Bezer: [ Speaking Hebrew ]

Interpreter: I was sent
to train the paratroopers unit

for two years.

They asked me, "muki,

what do you know
about the ugandan army?"

I said,
"listen, the ugandan army

"is not exactly
a well-trained army --

not like the idf, in any case."

Narrator: The planning group
considers several options.

One involves dropping
boats and a parachute force

into lake Victoria by entebbe.

Bezer: [ Speaking Hebrew ]

Interpreter: We've tested
parachuting into lake Victoria,

but we didn't have
any experience with such things.

And Navy seals tried it,
and the boats exploded.

Shani: Technically, we did not
do well in the exercise.

One boat was blown up,
and it was kind of...

And the second round was better,

but, say, 50% is not good enough
for an operation like this.

Narrator:
The risks of a failed operation
start to sink in.

I thought, "if it will fail,

"it will be
a boost for terrorists.

"It will be a shame for Israel.

It will make our army
look as a second-rate army."

[ Indistinct shouting ]

Narrator:
Meanwhile, the government
is under enormous pressure

from the families
of the hostages

to give in
to the terrorists' demands.

Incredibly,
it agrees to negotiate.

Man: The prime minister
saw a representative group

and revealed that the
government has decided to

negotiate with the hijackers

to secure the release
of all of the hostages

and was ready to
release some terrorists

held in Israeli jails
in return.

[ Shouting continues ]

Eiran: Their message was,

do whatever we can
to meet the terrorists' demand

and free our fathers
and mothers and relatives.

Narrator:
Secretly, the military planners
continue to work

according to new guidelines
set by the prime minister.

Eiran: One, it should be
a complete surprise.

"B," the time
the planes will land

and the military operation
will start

should be limited to
a specific number of minutes.

Narrator: Still, with no
realistic military option,

the Israeli government
decides to

try to pressure idi amin
to solve the crisis.

An old Israeli friend of the
ugandan president calls him.

The talks convince the leaders

that their only remaining option

is to mount
a daring military raid.

But continuing the negotiations

may allow them to buy time
to gather more intelligence.

Bezer: [ Speaking Hebrew ]

Interpreter: We got
super 8 films and photographs.

They gave us
information about the distances.

We were watching TV.

Amin was coming in
every evening to see them.

So intelligence
was coming in slowly,

but this wasn't
operational intelligence.

Narrator: On Wednesday,
less than 24 hours before

the deadline they've set
for executions expires,

the hijackers
release the non-Israeli hostages

and allow them
to fly back to Paris.

It's their first mistake.

Eiran: We sent a team to Paris
to interview them.

[ Indistinct conversations ]

Find out as much as we can --
details --

of what is taking place
at the terminal.

Narrator:
This is a critical breakthrough.

The released passengers
provide them information

about the number of terrorists,

the ugandan troops helping them,

and the exact location
of the hostages.

With the new intelligence,

the odds that the raid may work
improve.

Interpreter: We were sure that

coming to entebbe
from out of the blue,

and entebbe
is so far away from Israel,

and with our force,

we can finish it
in less than 2 minutes.

Magness: They're trying to
gain that upper hand again,

attack the enemy on your terms,

trying to achieve
that element of surprise,

and that was probably

the greatest thing
they had going for them.

Narrator: Then, another piece
of encouraging news arrives.

Only hours before the executions
are due to begin in entebbe,

the hijackers
agree to extend the deadline.

We needed time to keep quiet

and to keep their attention
around the negotiations.

If the slightest rumor
or indication will leak

that we have a
military intention, we lost it.

Narrator: The top-secret
Israeli counterterrorism team

simply known as the unit

has been put on high alert
when the crisis began.

It's time
to mobilize the troops.

[ Speaking Hebrew ]

Interpreter:
It's a very special unit.

It's the cream of the crop.

It was developed over the years
to carry out

intelligence and
counterterrorism operations...

...and others we call
the long arm of the idf.

Narrator:
The unit has built its mystique

by carrying out
the most daring missions,

operating behind enemy lines,

and rescuing hostages.

It has a significant reputation

because it took part in
many special operations.

Narrator:
Like other black-ops units
around the world,

the unit's operators have to

go through a
grueling selection camp to join.

The few who pass it
are invited to the team.

The first and foremost attribute
or feature is determination.

[ Speaking Hebrew ]

Interpreter: The operators need
a combination of skills --

physical ability, intelligence,
good technical skills,

and social skills,
because it's teamwork.

Narrator: Only a few
of the unit's operations

have ever been made public --

among them, rescuing hostages
from terrorists

who hijacked
a sabena airline flight in 1972.

When the plane arrived
in Tel Aviv,

the troops pretended to be
technicians coming to fix it.

They then stormed it
and rescued all the passengers.

In operation spring of youth
in 1973,

the unit
conducted a raid in Lebanon,

killing those responsible for

the massacre of Israeli athletes
during the Munich Olympics.

Bezer: [ Speaking Hebrew ]

Interpreter:
We came from the sea --

came in with the Navy seals.

We were dressed as tourists.

Ehud barak was my partner.

He was dressed as a woman.

We got to the heart of beirut

and took out three terrorist
leaders in retaliation.

Peres: I thought, "those boys --

"if there is somebody
in the world that can do it,

"they will do it.

"And they are ready
to pay with their life

without
the slightest hesitation."

Narrator: The unit
is the best chance Israel has.

They only have hours
to come up with the plan

before the deadline
set by the terrorists expires.

[ Machine-gun fire ]

Narrator: A rescue operation
by an elite commando unit

is the only hope
for more than 100 hostages

held by armed terrorists.

The terrorists
have issued an ultimatum

to the Israeli government.

Unless their demands are met,

they will
begin to execute hostages.

In the army headquarters
in Tel Aviv,

one plan that initially
seemed like an outlandish idea

is starting to take shape --

sending a strike force
2,000 Miles away

and storm the terminal
under the cover of darkness.

Interpreter: The plan was
to send 4 planes --

the first lands
7 minutes ahead of the others.

Joshua shani
will be the lead pilot.

He will fly the assault team --

29 of the unit's operators
led by yoni netanyahu.

With him is muki bezer,

who is part of the group
that planned the operation.

To add to
the element of surprise,

the special-forces team
assembles

a convoy
of official-looking vehicles.

CBS showed, a couple of times,

idi amin coming with a Mercedes,
with two land rover jeeps,

to visit the terminal,
to visit the hostages.

And we sort of said, "why --
why wouldn't we do the same?"

Bezer: [ Speaking Hebrew ]

Interpreter: One Mercedes
and two land rovers.

We will all
be dressed up as ugandans --

basically,
staging the arrival of idi amin

or another dignitary
as they did every night.

The plan is to get there
and completely surprise them,

storm the terminal,
take out the terrorists,

and release the hostages.

Narrator: The rest of the force,

another 200
top infantry and paratroopers

handpicked for the mission,

will arrive in
the other three Hercules planes.

Shani: The other 3 will wait
7 minutes in holding pattern,

just South of them,

around the border
of Kenya and Uganda,

just to make sure
that we will keep

the maximum surprise,
minimum noise.

Narrator: They will land
in 7-minute intervals.

Their job -- secure the airport,

fight back any retaliation,

and provide backup
for the rescue team.

The unit's senior operators
are assembled.

Amir ofer is home,

just days before finishing his
mandatory service with the unit.

Ofer: It was a very frightening
phone call, I must admit.

I was told,
"come immediately to your base."

All of us were very worried.

It was
a very dangerous operation.

Narrator: Practice begins.

They need to be ready
for every potential scenario.

Bezer: [ Speaking Hebrew ]

Interpreter:
Our planning seemed perfect,

with a high probability that
throughout the journey,

the landing,
and the raid on the terminal,

we will be able to
maintain the surprise element.

Narrator: Israel's leaders
and top military commanders

are invited
to observe a dress rehearsal

on an improvised model
of the terminal.

Peres:
When you decide an operation,

you have to take a risk.

The question is,
"is it a reasonable risk?"

I wouldn't do it
to commit suicide.

And when I saw the boys,

I saw their preparation,

my self-assurance go up.

Narrator:
At the end of the rehearsal,

the chief of staff wants to know

what are
their chances of succeeding.

Interpreter: He collected
all the commanders together

after the rehearsal.

He asked each of us to say

if we believe in the plan
or not.

All of us said that,
70% to 80%, it would fail...

But we decided to go.

When you have the type of
well-trained personnel --

and some of their ground forces

are exceptionally
well-trained --

you know,
you do what you have to do

in order to, you know,
to accomplish the mission.

Narrator:
The hijackers' new deadline
is approaching fast.

Peres, the minister of defense,

needs to convince
prime minister yitzhak rabin

to green-light
the risky operation.

Eiran:
He struggled with that decision

for a day and a night.

He told me that he hardly slept.

Narrator:
Five days into the crisis,

on Friday, encouraged by
the latest developments,

rabin, who is a former general,
is persuaded.

He accompanied me
to the elevators and said to me,

"amos, if the military operation
will fail --

"and the chances are 50/50 --

I will resign
the following day."

Narrator: With time running out,

200 of Israel's top fighters

will be ready
to take off to Africa

before given the green light.

The final go or no-go
for the mission,

now code-named
operation thunderbolt,

will have to be given
while they are in the air.

Narrator: A secret mission
to rescue 100 hostages

held by international terrorists
for almost a week

is launched.

An elite
Israeli special-forces team

is on its way
to the heart of Africa.

We took off to the mission

without the final approval
of the government.

Narrator: The assault teams have
less than 24 hours to prepare

before
changing to ugandan uniforms,

their operational disguise.

Their plan is
to pass themselves off as

idi amin's official motorcade.

Ofer: I was totally sure that

no one
will approve the operation.

It will be canceled
within a few hours.

It was too risky, too far.

Uh...

It was a crazy operation.

Narrator:
The troops are getting
quick, last-minute orders.

Yoni netanyahu, which is our --
was our commander,

explained that
we have a very short time

to prepare the operation.

Therefore, we will not discuss
any activities of other forces.

He just told each one of us

what's the specific role
of each squad.

Narrator:
Meanwhile, in Jerusalem,

an emergency cabinet meeting
is called.

Unless all ministers
approve the plan,

the troops will be called back.

The Hercules planes have been
in the air for nearly two hours

when a message arrives.

Operation thunderbolt is a go.

Zinke: Given the consequence

of both failure and success
for the state of Israel,

I think it was
a very, very tough call,

but it was one they had to make.

Narrator: In entebbe,

for the hostages,
the situation seems hopeless.

We couldn't even for 1%

think that Israeli
are coming to save us.

There's no way.

We didn't know
what's going on in Israel.

Nobody was talking to us.

Narrator: The deadline for
executions to begin approaches.

Ben dor: Every few hours,

they say that
they are going to execute us --

each and every one of us.

I remember that my thought was,

"I would like to
be one of the first,"

because I couldn't think of
seeing the others being killed.

It was despairing,
not giving any hope.

Narrator:
The four Hercules planes
head north, then turn South,

flying over the red sea
and then to Africa.

In the cockpit,
lead pilot Joshua shani

feels
the burden of responsibility.

Shani:
The fear was for failure --

real fear, big fear.

29 years old,
it's all on my shoulders.

And if I screw it up,
this is a national disaster.

Narrator: The journey
is some 2,200 Miles long,

and it involves
crossing hostile airspace.

If detected,
they will be shot down.

Shani: We kept radio silence,
because we didn't want

anybody from the enemy countries
next to us to listen.

Narrator:
To avoid getting detected,

they fly as low as
only 100 feet above sea.

Some of the troops
use the time to prepare.

Ofer: I loaded my ak-47,
and I opened the safety pin.

And my friend who was sitting
beside me shouted at me,

"you are not supposed to
open your safety pin

to load the weapon
within the plane!"

I told him,
"shut up. This is a real war."

Others, like matan vilnai,

the operation's
deputy commander,

and yoni netanyahu,
the unit's commander,

managed to
catch a few minutes of sleep.

Interpreter:
Both of us occupied this bay

with full gear and weapons.

We tried to sleep.
It's a long flight.

Shani: We, like, found
very difficult to understand

how a guy that's going to storm,

and his chances to get killed
are 50%,

can sleep like a baby,

and he did sleep like a baby.

Narrator: Just as they get to
the border of Kenya and Uganda,

the pilots break formation
and separate.

Shani,
carrying the attack force,

continues
directly toward entebbe,

while the others
reach the airport

from another direction.

The aim is to time their arrival

to maximize
the potential surprise.

Magness: Very dangerous.

You know,
flying into an airfield

that enemy forces
are controlling,

with aircraft
that are essentially unarmed.

You know,
they didn't have cover,

didn't have gunships
covering them

to be able to come in, land.

When we had to
pick out the time of landing,

we knew it should be the
middle of the night sometime.

Narrator:
As the plane approaches entebbe,

the control tower, anticipating
another arriving flight,

asks the plane
to identify itself.

Shani's answer could
seal the fate of the mission.

Interpreter: In broken English,
they start asking questions,

and our captain --
he gave the right answer.

Narrator: Shani manages to
pass as another incoming flight

without raising suspicion,

and his plane lands
at 11:01 P.M. Uganda time,

right on schedule.

The rest of the force,
200 troops,

should arrive
within the next 15 minutes.

But until then,

the unit's operators
are on their own.

Ofer:
The intelligence that we got

was that there are
between 200 and 1,000 soldiers

in this specific air base.

And we were supposed to be alone
for about 7 to 10 minutes.

Narrator: Everything
goes according to the plan.

I taxi all the way,
almost to the old terminal --

the terminal
where the hostages were held.

Narrator: While the plane
is still taxiing,

the assault force gets into
the official-looking vehicles

to pose as amin's motorcade.

The next moments are critical.

They have to
get right up to the terminal

without being detected.

[ Speaking Hebrew ]

Interpreter: We jumped
out with the Mercedes.

The air was fresh
right after the rain.

We're driving slowly,

adjusting our speed
to our surroundings.

Narrator: In the Mercedes
are bezer and netanyahu,

the commanders of the assault.

Behind, the rest of the force
in land rovers,

pretending to be
an official escort.

Ofer:
I remember these two feelings.

One is a feeling of
terrible loneliness.

And the second is that
I saw 29 shadows --

shadows of people, of soldiers

holding their weapons
in the darkness,

and I thought to myself,

"how many of these
will stay alive in 5 minutes?"

Narrator: The success
of the entire operation

depends on
maintaining the surprise.

They hope that the
ugandan troops at the airport

will not suspect
the official-looking convoy

and allow it
to get to the terminal.

Bezer: [ Speaking Hebrew ]

Interpreter:
We look straight ahead,

and we see two ugandan soldiers
standing there,

a little bored.

Narrator: The troops
have only seconds to react.

Bezer: [ Speaking Hebrew ]

Interpreter:
The guy yells, "advance!"

I tell yoni,
"forget it. It's routine."

But he hesitates for a second
and then says, "take them out."

[ Silenced gunshots ]

[ Machine-gun fire ]

Ofer: There was
a burst of non-silenced fire.

And at this moment,
it was obvious

that the element of surprise --
gone.

[ Gunfire continues ]

Interpreter: I thought, "this is
when the slaughter begins."

Narrator: Their cover is blown,

and they are still almost
700 feet away from their target.

The hijackers could start
executing hostages immediately.

The entire mission
hangs in the balance.

Narrator: A secret,
high-risk Israeli commando raid

into entebbe airport in Uganda

is on the brink of disaster.

The troops
are forced to open fire

before reaching their target.

The operation
is no longer a secret.

They are exposed
and outnumbered.

The lives of 100 hostages
and 200 troops

are on the line.

Bezer: [ Speaking Hebrew ]

Interpreter: We jumped off
and started running.

And as we are running,

a ugandan soldier opens fire
right above us,

and I shoot a round at him,
hitting him in the chest,

and he drops.

Any ugandan soldier we see
is shot.

There was massive shooting.

Narrator: Inside the terminal,
the hostages are terrified.

They don't know
who is shooting and why.

I thought,
"the terrorists will shoot,

"the ugandan soldiers
will shoot,

and we will be dead
in a few minutes."

[ Machine-gun fire in distance ]

Davidson: There was shooting --

terrible shooting -- all around,

noises, shouting, lights,
everything.

We were sure that
that's the end. It comes now.

Narrator: Everything depends on
how quickly the assault force

can get to the hostages.

It was critical
to enter as fast as possible.

[ Gunfire in distance ]

Narrator: Amir ofer is
the first inside the terminal.

Ofer:
I couldn't see my commander,

and I was sure
that he already ran

and he disappeared
in the darkness,

and I must run as fast as I can

in order to catch up with him
and to cover his back.

Narrator:
He is on his own, with no cover.

Someone was shooting
in the terminal,

about 5 meters inside it,

and he was holding an ak-47

and he was
shooting at me directly.

You know,
I could see his hands like this,

because he was shooting
a huge burst of fire.

Narrator:
His special-forces training
kicks into action.

And the bullets were
one here and one there,

and I simply didn't care.

I just shot him accurately,
three or four bullets,

and you know --

ta-ta-ta -- and that's it.

Narrator:
The rest of his team catch up.

As they
move through the terminal,

they see two men
dressed as civilians.

They don't realize
they are terrorists

until one soldier
notices a spark.

He shouted,
"they have a grenade,"

and they shoot them, and...

Narrator: The assault team
is now together.

They continue
to sweep the terminal.

Ofer: There were
two other terrorists.

They turned their rifle
to shoot me in the back.

Move!

[ Chuckles ]

Within 5 seconds,
I was supposed to die twice.

Narrator:
Next, the troops advance
into the passengers' hole.

We were scanning
the whole room with our eyes,

looking for more terrorists.

[ Indistinct shouting ]

Narrator: The hostages have
no idea who these soldiers are.

Ben dor:
It was very frightening moments.

It looks like hours.

And we -- we didn't understand
what is going on.

Ofer: In my left hand,
I put the loudspeaker.

My right hand
was still on the trigger.

And I said,
"everybody lie down."

They were totally sure

that they're now
going to be executed.

Narrator: In the confusion,

one passenger,
Jean-Jacques maimoni,

excited to be rescued,
leaps to his feet.

He jumped against my explicit
instruction to lie down,

and he was mistakenly
considered to be a terrorist

who is jumping in order to run
and activate a bomb or whatever,

and he was shot.

Narrator:
Maimoni is one of three hostages

killed in the crossfire.

The hostages start to
realize what is happening.

They started to raise
a little bit their heads

and just, you know,
to look from the bottom,

from the floor, to look up.

And, suddenly, they identified
or they understood

that they're
not going to be killed,

that someone
came to rescue them.

And...It's an amazing moment.

It's like if there was
an angel coming out of the sky.

It was such a surprise.

[ Machine-gun fire ]

Narrator: By now, the rest of
the Israeli force has landed

and is battling
the ugandan army outside.

The Hercules pilots
are waiting in the dark.

There was shooting
all over the place -- tracers --

and I couldn't tell
if they are aiming to us or not.

One bullet in the right place,
the airplane is grounded.

You cannot take off.

Narrator: Inside the terminal,

the assault force needs to
report to yoni netanyahu,

the unit's commander,

that the team has eliminated
the hijackers' threat.

Interpreter:
I call yoni on the radio,

and I say, "mission completed."

"Yoni," I say, "completed,
just like in the rehearsal!"

Nothing.

The unit's
communications officer picks up.

He's yelling,
"yoni is hurt, yoni is hurt!"

Narrator: Yoni netanyahu,
the unit's commander,

has been critically injured.

There's no time
to digest the news.

They are still
not out of danger.

Ben dor:
The soldiers told us to go out,

to follow the lights outside,

to the Hercules,

and we started to run.

Narrator:
The hostages and the troops

are still
at least 8 hours away from home

in a hostile country.

My issue was, at that time,

to make sure that we can
get the hell out of there.

Narrator:
The evacuation must begin.

We have to count the soldiers
a million times,

just to make sure we are not
leaving anyone behind.

It was so critical.

And when we filled,

everybody that was ready
took off.

Narrator: The Israeli force
needs to make sure

they can't be pursued
by the ugandan army.

A demolition team
moves to destroy

Uganda's entire fleet
of mig fighter planes.

On the way home,
the troops learn

that the unit's commander,
yoni netanyahu, has died.

Interpreter: I went out to the
back of one of the aircraft...

...and I saw yoni lying there.

He was covered
with an aluminum blanket.

And I looked at it,
and I think about yoni.

In military operations,
the price is always human life.

Narrator: 2,000 Miles away,

the government in Jerusalem
is waiting for an update.

Peres: I was at my office.

It was, I think, 12:00 at night.

That was the first time
that the silence was broken.

And we got the code.

It says that
one of our commanders fall.

Somehow
my heart told me it's yoni,

whom I love very much.

Narrator:
While the Hercules planes
are still in the air,

news of the secret
has leaked out.

Shani:
We turn on the long-range radio,

and I put it on the loudspeakers
so the special forces will hear.

It started with
a French television station.

It said, "Israeli commando
just did this operation."

Narrator: After another
7 hours in the air,

and a week after the hijacking,

the four planes carrying

the troops, the hostages,
and the dead

are finally back home in Israel.

[ Indistinct conversations ]

Davidson: Everybody --
all of our friends --

all of them were there.

[ Conversations continue ]

Ben dor: It was unbelievable.

I thought that the whole country
is waiting for us

in the airport.

Lots and lots
and lots of people.

Narrator:
The pilots can finally relax.

When you have this kind of
responsibility, you function.

Adrenaline is so high
you just function,

and you don't know how.

I totally collapsed
when I got home.

But matkal,
the secret black-ops unit,

cannot take part
in the celebrations.

For many years to come,

its missions and the operators
who carried them out

will remain in the shadows.

Ofer:
We were isolated and taken aside

because it was top secret
at the time.

I think that there was one
moment, later on,

that I understood that
we did something,

I would say, extraordinary.

They know
this is a secret mission.

They felt that
only they can do it

and that they have to do it

and that they have to
take the risk.

It was not God
that worked overtime,

it was just we did a good job
like we were expected to do.

Narrator: The daring raid

and the courage of
the troops who carried it out

will be studied by
forces all around the world

and serve as a model

for what special-ops teams
could achieve.

The Israeli
overwhelming retaliation

is an early
international victory

in the war on terrorism.

[ Machine-gun fire ]