Iftach Spector
Encyclopedia
Iftach Spector is a retired Israel
i Brigadier General
, a former fighter pilot and commander of the airbases at Tel Nof
and Ramat David
. He serves on the Israel Advisory Council of Israel Policy Forum
.
, and was one of the pilots involved in the USS Liberty incident
. He took part in Operation Rimon 20
, an air battle between Israel and the Soviet Union
during the War of Attrition
, later fought in the Yom Kippur War
, and participated in Operation Opera
, Israel's 1981 bombing of Iraq's nuclear reactor. During his service with the Israeli Air Force, Spector commanded 101 and 107 squadrons and both the air bases at Ramat David
and Tel Nof. Spector shot down 12 enemy aircraft, eight while flying the Mirage III and four while flying the F-4 Phantom II
.
In 2003, Spector was one of 27 reserve pilots and former pilots exempt from reserve duty to sign a letter
from "The Pilots Group" refusing to fly missions against targets in the West Bank and Gaza.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...
, a former fighter pilot and commander of the airbases at Tel Nof
Tel Nof Airbase
Tel Nof Israeli Air Force , also known as Air Force Base 8, is one of three principal airbases of the Israeli Air Force. Tel Nof is located near Rehovot, Israel.-History:...
and Ramat David
Ramat David Airbase
Ramat David Israeli Air Force Base is one of three principal airbases of the Israeli Air Force, located southeast of Haifa, close to kibbutz Ramat David and Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley...
. He serves on the Israel Advisory Council of Israel Policy Forum
Israel Policy Forum
The Israel Policy Forum is a New York, NY based American Jewish organization that works for a two state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. The organization lobbies American policymakers in support of this goal and writes opinion pieces that have appeared in many Jewish and non-Jewish...
.
Biography
Spector saw action in the Six-Day WarSix-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
, and was one of the pilots involved in the USS Liberty incident
USS Liberty incident
The USS Liberty incident was an attack on a United States Navy technical research ship, , by Israeli Air Force jet fighter aircraft and Israeli Navy torpedo boats, on June 8, 1967, during the Six-Day War. The combined air and sea attack killed 34 crew members , wounded 170 crew members, and...
. He took part in Operation Rimon 20
Operation Rimon 20
Rimon 20 was the code name of a planned aerial battle which pitted the Israeli Air Force against Soviet fighter pilots stationed in Egypt during the War of Attrition. In the engagement, which took place on July 30, 1970, five Soviet flown MiG-21s were downed by Israeli F-4 Phantoms and Mirage IIIs...
, an air battle between Israel and the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
during the War of Attrition
War of Attrition
The international community and both countries attempted to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict. The Jarring Mission of the United Nations was supposed to ensure that the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 242 would be observed, but by late 1970 it was clear that this mission had been...
, later fought in the Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
, and participated in Operation Opera
Operation Opera
Operation Babylon was a surprise Israeli air strike carried out on June 7, 1981, that destroyed a nuclear reactor under construction 17 kilometers southeast of Baghdad, Iraq....
, Israel's 1981 bombing of Iraq's nuclear reactor. During his service with the Israeli Air Force, Spector commanded 101 and 107 squadrons and both the air bases at Ramat David
Ramat David Airbase
Ramat David Israeli Air Force Base is one of three principal airbases of the Israeli Air Force, located southeast of Haifa, close to kibbutz Ramat David and Megiddo in the Jezreel Valley...
and Tel Nof. Spector shot down 12 enemy aircraft, eight while flying the Mirage III and four while flying the F-4 Phantom II
F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
.
In 2003, Spector was one of 27 reserve pilots and former pilots exempt from reserve duty to sign a letter
Refusal to serve in the Israeli military
Refusal to serve in the Israeli military includes both refusal to obey specific orders and refusal to serve in the Israel Defense Forces in any capacity due to pacifist or anti-militarist views or disagreement with the policies of the Israeli government as implemented by the army, such as the...
from "The Pilots Group" refusing to fly missions against targets in the West Bank and Gaza.
Publications
- Iftach Spector, Loud and Clear, Minneapolis, Zenith Press, 2009, 426 pp., ISBN 978-0-7603-3630-4 is his personal autobiography.
External links
- http://newsbusters.org/blogs/kyle-drennen/2008/04/28/cbs-s-simon-israeli-air-force-pilot-you-dont-look-killer
- http://beirut.indymedia.org/fr/2003/09/511.shtml