"Peace imposed by force against the will of the Palestinians will never be a true peace; it will fade away." These are some words of the Palestinian martyr Kamal Nasser, who was assassinated in what is known as the "Fardan Operation."
The "Fardan Operation," executed on April 10, 1973, saw the assassination of three leaders of the Palestinian resistance: Kamal Adwan, Kamal Nasser, and Abu Yusuf al-Najjar, known for their planning of fedayeen (Guriella fighting/martyrdom) operations against the Israeli occupation.
At that time, Israeli soldiers arrived in the Lebanese capital Beirut disguised in civilian clothing, including Ehud Barak among them. Another group attempted to blow up the headquarters of the Democratic Front in the Fakahani district of Beirut.
The operation was executed with the assistance of an Israeli intelligence team called "Gideon," whose leader then moved to Tripolis to plan a similar operation.
The operation ended with the martyrdom of the three leaders and the resignation of the Lebanese government led by Saeb Salam.
The three leaders were:
Kamal Nasser:
Born in Gaza in 1925, Kamal Nasser attended the Law Institute in Jerusalem while pursuing his education and career in journalism. He joined the Palestine Liberation Organization and later became its official spokesman and head of unified media.
Kamal Adwan:
Born in 1935, Kamal Adwan earned a degree in petroleum engineering. He participated in the inception of "Fatah" and was elected to its Central Committee in 1971. He then became the military leader for the western sector in the Fatah movement.
Abu Yusuf al-Najjar:
Abu Yusuf al-Najjar was born in the Ramla district of Palestine in 1927. He was one of the founders of the Fatah movement and a commander of the Storm Forces.
These three Palestinian leaders were residing in the same building and were targeted in the "Fardan Operation," named after a famous street in Beirut. It is noted that an Israeli agent rented an apartment opposite theirs and monitored all movements from the leaders' apartments to confirm their presence.
Days before the operation, a group obtained European passports and rented six American cars based on instructions from the head of Mossad. The attacking force disguised themselves as hippies before executing the operation.
After completing their mission, the commando team withdrew to the beach, where boats were waiting for them at sea. Another intelligence group moved to northern Lebanon, specifically Tripolis, to monitor the movements of Palestinian leader Sa'eed al-Sab'aa, known as "Abu Basel," in preparation for his assassination.
The operation was a response to the Munich operation carried out by the 'Black September' organization affiliated with Fatah, as well as in response to the assassination of the Mossad (Israeli Intelligence Agency) agent Baruch Cohen in the Spanish capital, Madrid.
The Palestinian resistance, led by the martyr Abu Jihad, spent two years planning to retaliate against this operation, which resulted in the Savoy Operation in the heart of Tel Aviv.
*Posters are from the Palestine Poster Archive..
Video titled "I Was There | Operation Fardan 1973" from Al Arabiya channel.
Video from Palestine 27K channel titled "Operation Fardan in Beirut, when Barak disguised as a woman to assassinate prominent leaders of the Palestinian resistance."
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