Noting the 11-year anniversary of the destruction of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s secret nuclear reactor in Deir el-Zour, the Israeli Air Force conducted a ceremony emblazoning warplanes that took part in the strike with special markings.
The strike, which took place on the newly operational facility under then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on the night between Sept. 5 and Sept. 6, 2007, was only officially acknowledged by Israel earlier this year.
The military mission dubbed “Operation Outside the Box” took place in coordination with three air squadrons: Squadron 669: “The Hammers;” Squadron 119: “The Bat;” and Squadron 253: “The Negev.” It also utilized F-16s and F-15s aircraft.
At the ceremony, planes from Squadron 69 and 253 were marked with stickers bearing the symbol of the operation by pilots and technical crews who took part in flying and arming the mission, as well as commander of Squadron 69, Lt. Col. “G.”
The symbol features a triangle, symbolizing an attack, painted the colors of the Syrian flag, with a radioactivity emblem in the center.