Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
Operation Barak
Zionist paramilitary operation in the 1948 Palestine war From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
Operation Barak (Hebrew: מבצע ברק, Mivtza Barak, lit. Operation Lightning) was a Haganah offensive launched just before the end of the British Mandate in Palestine. It was part of Plan Dalet. Its objective was to capture villages North of Gaza in anticipation of the arrival of the Egyptian army. It was undertaken by the newly formed Giv'ati brigade, commanded by Shimon Avidan.
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (August 2014) |
Remove ads
Background
Operational orders defined the Giv'ati brigades objectives as: "To deny the enemy a base ... creating general panic and breaking his morale ... cause the flight of the inhabitants of the smaller settlements in the area." Commander Avidan's instructions were: "You will determine alone, in consultation with your Arab affair advisers and Intelligence Service officer, the villages in your zone that should be occupied, cleaned up or destroyed." According to historian Benny Morris, Avidan preferred the latter option.[1]
As a prelude, the Giv'ati brigade's first action took place on 4 May 1948 when the brigade occupied 'Aqir, south west of al-Ramle, population 2,480.[2]
Remove ads
Operation
The offensive was launched on 9 May with Bayt Daras being subjected to mortar bombardment prior to being occupied. Subsequently, village houses were blown up. A second round of attacks were launched on 15 May.[3]
Aftermath
Two months later the Giv'ati brigade carried out a further operation in this area capturing at least 16 villages and creating 'more than 20,000' refugees.[4]
Communities captured during Operation Barak
Remove ads
See also
References
Bibliography
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads