1973 raid on al-Mazzah Airport

1973 airstrike during the Yom Kippur War yes 33.478131 N 36.224836 E title 1973 raid on al-Mazzah Airport al-Mazzah Airport, near al-Mazzah, Damascus 13 October 1973 the Yom Kippur War F-4E Israel HAPIM0321.jpg 300px Israeli F-4E Israeli victory Israel Syria 1972 Moshe Dayan Benny Peled 8 F-4 Phantoms2 A-4 Skyhawks4 Mirage IIIC3 helicopters Syrian Air Defense ForceSyrian Air Force 1 F-4E Phantom II destroyed1 F-4E Phantom II damaged 1 airfield destroyed2 MiG-21s destroyed The 1973 raid on al-Mazzah Airport took place on October 13, 1973, and was one of a series of bombing raids carried out by the Israeli Air Force deep inside Syria during the Yom Kippur War.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/topic/1973-al-Mazzah-Airport-Raid 1973 al Mazzah Airport Raid: Latest News, Videos, Photos | Times of India Timesofindia.indiatimes.com 2013-05-10 Battle Israeli F-4s and Mirage IIICs approached Al-Mazzah airport to conduct a series of raids to neutralize the bases capable of launching attacks over Israeli airspace. Shortly after crossing into Syrian airspace, the Israeli formations came under heavy fire by Soviet-made Syrian Air Force MiG-21s. The Israeli pilots managed to shoot down two of the MiG-21s and then concentrated their attack on the airbase itself. Using the Mirage IIIC's bombing capabilities, they were able to crater the runways and inflict light ground losses. During the raid a MiG-21 shot down an F-4 Phantom; both the pilot and the navigator survived, but they crashed on hostile ground near the airbase, and shortly after that were rescued by IDF forces. Another F-4 Phantom was severely damaged by anti-aircraft fire from the airbase; the plane was escorted back to Israeli airspace, and safely returned home.https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/73iaf.html 1973: The Yom Kippur War Jewishvirtuallibrary.org 1973-10-09 2013-05-10 Aftermath Following the attack, a battle erupted between the IDF and Syrian forces, as the IDF attempted to rescue a pilot and a navigator who ejected from their F-4 Phantom II during the raid. One F-4 Phantom II was crippled during the engagement, but was escorted back to safety despite repeated efforts by the Syrian Air Force to shoot down the crippled aircraft. The raid was primarily an Israeli victory as they sustained minimal losses, compared to the losses of the Syrian Air Force, which lost the airbase and two MIG-21's. References Category:Israeli airstrikes during the Yom Kippur War Category:Attacks on air bases in Syria Category:Syrian Air Force Category:Military operations involving airports Category:1973 in Syria Category:Raids of the Arab–Israeli conflict Category:Cross-border operations of Israel into Syria Category:Attacks on buildings and structures in Damascus Category:Attacks on military installations in 1973