Operation Opera — Israeli air strike carried out on 7 June 1981, which destroyed an Iraqi nuclear reactor Osirak
Israel's 1981 destruction of Iraq's Osirak reactor established the Begin Doctrine of pre-emptive counter-proliferation strikes and drew broad international condemnation.
Key Facts
- Date of strike
- 7 June 1981
- Aircraft used
- F-16A fighters escorted by F-15As
- Distance from Baghdad
- 17 kilometres southeast of Baghdad
- Casualties reported
- 10 Iraqi soldiers and 1 French civilian killed
- Reactor origin
- Osiris-class reactor purchased from France in 1976
- UN response
- Rebuked by both Security Council and General Assembly
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
In 1976, Iraq purchased an Osiris-class nuclear reactor from France, named Osirak. Israel suspected the reactor was intended to produce nuclear weapons that would escalate the Arab–Israeli conflict. Iran had already struck the facility in 1980, causing minor damage later repaired by French technicians, heightening Israeli urgency to act before the reactor became operational.
On 7 June 1981, Israeli Air Force F-16A aircraft, escorted by F-15As, conducted a surprise strike that destroyed the unfinished Osirak reactor 17 kilometres southeast of Baghdad. Israel justified the attack as self-defense, claiming the reactor was weeks away from becoming critical. The raid killed ten Iraqi soldiers and one French civilian.
The strike drew sharp international condemnation, including UN resolutions rebuking Israel, and was widely criticized by Western media. It established the Begin Doctrine of pre-emptive counter-proliferation action. While the attack set back Iraq's nuclear program, historians note it drove the program underground and strengthened Saddam Hussein's determination to acquire nuclear weapons.