The Red Prince And The Kill List: 7 Shocking Facts About Mossad's Operation Wrath Of God
Operation Wrath of God, known in Hebrew as Mivtza Za'am Ha'el, remains one of the most controversial and highly dramatized covert intelligence campaigns in modern history. Launched by Israel in the wake of the devastating 1972 Munich Massacre, its sole objective was to systematically hunt down and assassinate every individual deemed responsible for the murder of 11 Israeli Olympic athletes by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September. This campaign of targeted killings spanned years and crossed continents, forever changing the nature of state-sponsored counter-terrorism.
As of December 2025, new historical analyses continue to shed light on the operation’s complex execution, including the previously hidden extent of cooperation—and occasional friction—with European intelligence agencies. The story is not just one of revenge, but a stark case study in the ethics, failures, and long-term geopolitical consequences of a government deciding to implement a secret, global kill list in the name of national security.
The Architects and the Primary Targets: A Profile List
The campaign, sometimes referred to as "Operation Bayonet," was authorized at the highest levels of the Israeli government. A secret committee, known as Committee X, was formed to oversee the retaliatory strikes, with the targets being members of the Black September organization and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) who were allegedly involved in the Munich attack.
Key Israeli Figures Who Authorized and Directed the Operation
- Golda Meir (1898–1978): The Prime Minister
As the then-Prime Minister of Israel, Golda Meir was the ultimate authority behind Operation Wrath of God. She authorized the formation of Committee X and famously declared that Israel would "strike at the terrorists wherever they are." Her decision to use targeted assassinations marked a significant shift in Israeli counter-terrorism policy, establishing a "Munich Doctrine" of aggressive retaliation.
- Zvi Zamir (1925–2024): The Mossad Director
Zvi Zamir served as the Director of Mossad (Israel's foreign intelligence agency) during the planning and initial execution phases of the operation. He was directly responsible for directing the covert assassination units, often referred to simply as the "Caesarea" group, which carried out the missions across Europe and the Middle East. Zamir's role was central to transforming the political directive into a clandestine reality.
The Most Prominent Assassination Targets
Mossad's kill list contained up to 35 names, but the campaign focused on a core group of leaders and operatives responsible for the Munich planning. The assassinations were meticulous and often dramatic, designed to send a clear message.
- Wael Zwaiter (1934–1972): The First Casualty
Role: PLO representative in Rome and a translator. Israel accused him of being a Black September operative involved in planning the Munich attack.
Assassination: On October 16, 1972, Zwaiter was shot 11 times—one bullet for each of the Israeli athletes killed—in the lobby of his apartment building in Rome. This marked the official beginning of Operation Wrath of God. - Mahmoud Hamshari (1939–1972): The Phone Bomb Victim
Role: PLO representative in Paris and a key Black September leader in France.
Assassination: Mossad agents planted a bomb in his apartment telephone. To ensure the target was correct and to maximize psychological impact, an agent called Hamshari, and once he confirmed his identity, the agent gave a coded signal, and the bomb was detonated remotely. Hamshari died from his injuries a month later in December 1972. - Hussein Al Bashir (1935–1973): The Cyprus Coordinator
Role: Fatah representative in Cyprus and allegedly the Black September coordinator for the country.
Assassination: Killed by a bomb planted under his hotel bed in Nicosia, Cyprus, in January 1973. His death was a major blow to the organization's logistical network in the Mediterranean. - Ali Hassan Salameh (1940–1979): The 'Red Prince'
Role: Head of Black September and Yasser Arafat's personal security chief. He was considered the mastermind of the Munich Massacre.
Assassination: Salameh was the primary target and proved the most elusive. After multiple failed attempts, including the infamous Lillehammer Fiasco, he was finally killed on January 22, 1979, in Beirut by a car bomb planted by a Mossad agent. His assassination effectively ended the main phase of the operation.
The Controversial Failures and International Fallout
While the operation achieved its goal of eliminating most of its high-value targets, it was not without significant failures and international controversy. These mistakes exposed the covert nature of the campaign and led to diplomatic crises.
The Lillehammer Fiasco
The most famous and damaging failure occurred on July 21, 1973, in Lillehammer, Norway. Mossad agents mistakenly identified an innocent Moroccan waiter, Ahmed Bouchikhi, as the elusive Ali Hassan Salameh. Bouchikhi was shot and killed in front of his pregnant wife.
The subsequent capture and trial of six Mossad agents by Norwegian authorities exposed the operation to the world, revealing the scope of the Israeli intelligence campaign and leading to international condemnation. The incident was a major embarrassment for Israel, forcing it to pay compensation to Bouchikhi's family decades later.
The Ethics of Targeted Killing
Operation Wrath of God ignited a global debate that continues today regarding the moral and legal justification of state-sponsored targeted assassinations. Critics argued that the operation amounted to extrajudicial killings and state terrorism, undermining international law.
Conversely, proponents within Israel and elsewhere viewed it as a necessary, proactive measure of self-defense against non-state terrorist actors who operated outside traditional military conflict zones. The operation set a precedent for the use of clandestine intelligence units in counter-terrorism long before drone warfare became common.
The Lasting Legacy: A Blueprint for Modern Counter-Terrorism
The campaign, which officially lasted until Ali Hassan Salameh’s death in 1979, and arguably continued with subsequent related killings into the 1990s, had a profound and lasting impact on intelligence and security practices worldwide.
The Doctrine of Proactive Retaliation
The "Munich Doctrine" established by Golda Meir—the commitment to pursue terrorists no matter where they hide—became a core, albeit unofficial, tenet of Israeli foreign and security policy. It demonstrated a willingness to project power globally through intelligence operations, a model studied by many other nations facing similar threats.
The Role of European Intelligence
Recent research, such as the 2025 book "Operation Wrath of God: The Secret History of European Intelligence and Mossad's Assassination Campaign," reveals that the operation was not a purely unilateral Mossad effort. It highlights the complex and often secret cooperation between Mossad and European intelligence agencies in countries like Italy and France, which provided crucial logistical support and intelligence, facilitating the assassinations. This new information challenges the long-held narrative of a lone-wolf Mossad operation.
In essence, Operation Wrath of God was a pivotal moment. It transformed the rules of engagement between states and terrorist groups, setting a dark, controversial, and highly effective historical blueprint for how a nation responds to a devastating attack on its citizens. The shadows of the Red Prince and the Mossad agents who hunted him still loom large in the world of espionage and counter-terrorism.
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