(
Hebrew: מבצע ערצב-19,
Mivtza ʻArtzav Tsha-Esreh) was a
suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) campaign launched by the
Israeli Air Force (IAF) against
Syrian targets on June 9, 1982, at the outset of the
1982 Lebanon War. The operation was the first time in history that a Western-equipped air force successfully destroyed a
Soviet-built
surface-to-air missile (SAM) network.
[3] It also became one of the biggest air battles since
World War II,
[6] and the biggest since the
Korean War.
[7] The result was a decisive Israeli victory, leading to the colloquial name the "Bekaa Valley Turkey Shoot".
The IAF began working on a SAM suppression operation at the end of the
Yom Kippur War. Rising tensions between Israel and Syria over Lebanon escalated in the early 1980s and culminated in Syria deploying SAM batteries in the
Beqaa Valley. On June 6, 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon, and on the third day of the war, with clashes ongoing between the
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the
Syrian Army, Israel decided to launch the operation.
The battle lasted about two hours, and involved innovative tactics and technology.
By the end of the day, the IAF had destroyed 29 of 30 SAM batteries deployed in the Beqaa Valley, and shot down between 82–86 enemy aircraft, with minimal losses of its own. The battle led the
United States to impose a ceasefire on
Israel and
Syria.
