Operation Mole Cricket 19

Overview

Operation Mole Cricket 19 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. It also became one of the biggest air battles since World War II, and the biggest since the Korean War. The result was a decisive Israeli victory.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

Operation Mole Cricket 19, launched by the Israeli Air Force on June 9, 1982 at the outset of the 1982 Lebanon War, marked the first time in history that a Western-equipped air force successfully destroyed a Soviet-built surface-to-air missile network. The suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) campaign against Syrian targets produced a decisive Israeli victory and established Israeli air dominance over the Lebanese theater. The engagement became one of the largest air battles since World War II and the largest since the Korean War, demonstrating that Soviet-supplied SAM networks — long considered a serious threat to Western air power — could be systematically neutralized. The operation had significant implications beyond the immediate conflict, reshaping assessments of Soviet air defense technology and Western countermeasures doctrine.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (4)