I am with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) – the first foreign journalist to be taken on a combat mission more than a thousand miles from Israel aboard a fighter jet refuel tanker.
Israel’s response to those attacks have killed nearly 42,000 in Gaza and more than 1,000 in Lebanon.
Israeli Air Force security regulations are so tight neither I nor Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, the IDF spokesman accompanying me, are allowed to bring our cellphones aboard.
In its new guise as an Israeli tanker, signs remain of the aircraft’s past life, a reminder of its age.
He jockeys the two long levers beside his seat and steers the nozzle toward the gas-hungry fighter jet’s fuel port.
Thousands of feet above the Red Sea on an antiquated Boeing 707, I put on a pair of fancy 3D goggles and gaze at the tiny TV screen set back behind a bank of anachronistic dials and switches.
The shore of Egypt slides past me to my left, the amber desert of Saudi Arabia to my right, and then a massive F35 fighter jet fills the small screen.
I am a member of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the first foreign journalist to be flown more than a thousand miles from Israel on a fighter jet refueling tanker for a combat mission.
Since Hamas’ attack on October 7 of last year, Israel has been fighting an increasingly intense war – not only in Gaza, but also in Lebanon, where Hezbollah started attacking Israel on October 8, in Yemen, where the Houthis have launched long-range attacks at Israel’s major population centers, and even in the capitals of Syria and Iran.
Over 1,000 people have died in Lebanon and approximately 42,000 people have died in Gaza as a result of Israel’s response to those attacks. Crucial infrastructure in Yemen, a war-torn nation that has long been among the worst humanitarian situations in the world, has been destroyed by deadly bombing campaigns.
The location of the aircraft was not specified in Israel’s invitation to participate in this mission. I’m not sure where I’m going or what this IDF flight will teach me about military operations as I clamber up the rickety steps of the aircraft.
Israeli Air Force security regulations are so tight neither I nor Lt. Col. IDF spokesman Nadav Shoshani and I are permitted to bring our cell phones on board. I’m not allowed to bring a photojournalist or a camera either.
I have access to the over-50-year-old former commercial airliner and its commanders, provided they remain anonymous. The only exception is the cockpit.
This access, with or without a camera, is the only chance to examine and talk with those fighting on Israel’s multiple fronts up close and personal.
The aircraft’s age is highlighted by the remnants of its former life, even in its new configuration as an Israeli tanker. The call buttons above feature a woman, signifying that sexism has long since been exterminated from our skies.
The plane has changed drastically from its heyday of transporting paying passengers in all other respects. Its long body is equipped with massive, pressurized fuel tanks, which are necessary for Israel to project its firepower, and the seats have been removed.
I find out that the refueling mission I am joining is the IDF’s longest-range combat mission since a raid on Tunis in 1985—it entails flying 1,200 miles (1,500 kilometers).
I am reminded by Shoshani of remarks made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the UN General Assembly the previous day. Netanyahu stated, “There is no place that the long arm of Israel cannot reach,” referring to Iran and the larger Middle East.
The Israeli F35 fighter jets, each valued at over $100 million, pursue the 707 tanker for over an hour and a half, gently pushing against the fuel pipe that trails behind it.
With fifteen years of experience in refueling, the squadron commander looks through his 3D goggles, combining images from two cameras. By manipulating the two elongated levers next to his seat, he directs the nozzle in the direction of the fuel port on the fuel-hungry fighter jet.
He assures me that nothing about this is simple. He claims that loading enough fuel and planning the mission to the last minute will be the biggest challenges, as the F35s will need to arrive on target with a full tank at the exact moment their intelligence indicates is the best time to launch an attack.
We are traveling to Hodeidah Port in Yemen, which is under the control of Houthi rebels with Iranian support, as he reveals to me on a mission map.
The Houthis have fired three long-range missiles in the last two weeks, all of which have been intercepted close to Tel Aviv, according to Shoshani, who is the reason for this mission today.
The Houthis claim that their actions, which began with attacks on Red Sea shipping, are an expression of their solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza. The words “Death to Israel, A Curse Upon the Jews” are displayed on their flag. According to experts, however, the group has also benefited from widespread support in Yemen and recognition abroad as a result of the popular uprising in support of Gaza’s Palestinian citizens.
The Houthis assert that they attacked Netanyahu at Ben Gurion International Airport, which is located just outside of Tel Aviv, on Saturday night, the day he returned from New York.
This mission was launched sixteen hours after it was first planned because an impact in this area could have resulted in significant civilian casualties.
The squadron commander noticeably eases into his seat, slides his goggles back, and stretches his shoulders as the final F35s disconnect from the fuel feed. It takes intense focus to maintain each jet on the nozzle for approximately three minutes.
Waiting for fighter pilots to deliver their payloads, we start circling. As they attempt to avoid being shot down, any ground attack could cost them fuel, which they would need to refuel in order to return to base.
We’re heading north in twenty minutes without the need for top-ups.
I question the tanker’s lead pilot, a veteran reservist pilot, about the difficulties of this kind of mission and his thoughts on civilian casualties. He tells me that we use every piece of intelligence at our disposal to prevent the deaths of civilians.
I bring up the high death toll from Air Force strikes in Gaza and Lebanon. He informs me that the Houthis are our target because they are putting our civilians in danger with their missile fire.
By the time we safely return to southern Israel, word of the strike has spread. Pictures of massive smoke and fire plumes rising from Hodeidah Port are airing on the Houthi TV channel.
The Houthis use the port to “transfer Iranian weapons to the region, and supplies for military needs, and thus also oil,” according to the IDF, which also claims that they targeted “power plants and a seaport in the areas of Ras Issa and Hodeidah.”. “.
A port official and three engineers were killed when the F35s I witnessed being refueled struck a power plant and fuel store in Hodeidah, according to Houthi officials.
Chief of Staff, IDF, Lt. Chief Gen. Following the attack, Herzi Halevi issued the following statement: “We know how to reach very far, we know how to reach even farther, and we know how to strike there with precision.”. “.
This acts rather than conveys a message. An action that conveys a message,” Halevi stated.
According to Shoshani, the message on the flight was also intended for Iran, signaling that although Israel is ready for Hezbollah to launch retaliatory strikes in Lebanon, they want Iran, who funds the organization, to remain neutral.
This embedded provided real-time evidence that long-dormant adversaries are resurfacing and that Israel’s war to thwart them is expanding regionally, in addition to serving as an object lesson in the lengths Israel will go to punish its enemies.
