Shadow Strike

Inside Israel's Secret Mission to Eliminate Syrian Nuclear Power

By: Yaakov Katz

Narrated by: Christopher Lane

The never-before-told inside story of how Israel stopped Syria from becoming a global nuclear nightmare - and its far-reaching implications

On September 6, 2007, shortly after midnight, Israeli fighters advanced on Deir ez-Zour in Syria. Israel often flew into Syria as a warning to President Bashar al-Assad. But this time, there was no warning and no explanation. This was a covert operation, with one goal: to destroy a nuclear reactor being built by North Korea under a tight veil of secrecy in the Syrian desert.

Shadow Strike tells, for the first time, the story of the espionage, political courage, military might and psychological warfare behind Israel’s daring operation to stop one of the greatest known acts of nuclear proliferation. It also brings Israel’s powerful military and diplomatic alliance with the United States to life, revealing the debates President Bush had with Vice President Cheney and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert as well as the diplomatic and military planning that took place in the Oval Office, the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, and inside the IDF’s underground war room beneath Tel Aviv.

These two countries remain united in a battle to prevent nuclear proliferation, to defeat Islamic terror, and to curtail Iran’s attempts to spread its hegemony throughout the Middle East. Yaakov Katz's Shadow Strike explores how this operation continues to impact the world we live in today and if what happened in 2007 is a sign of what Israel will need to do one day to stop Iran's nuclear program. It also asks: had Israel not carried out this mission, what would the Middle East look like today?

©2019 by Yaakov Katz. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Recent History, Very Relevant.

This book covers the Israeli bombing of the Syrian nuclear reactor before the Arab Spring. You'll find many major figures have familiar names like Bush and Putin and Assad and Netanyahu and Olmert and Bolton. The book is one of a kind as many details inside here were strictly classified before this publication only a couple months ago. These details include secure communication between world leaders and the minutes of top level meetings which Katz likely secured by interviewing these leaders directly.

That said, there are downsides to this book. It is rather opinionated, in particular the repeated references to alleged military and intelligence failures in Lebanon and Iraq which are highly debatable and not at all relevant to the story at hand are what stood out to me.

But whether you're into current events, middle east politics, or military/intelligence studies, then this book is for you.

A great book to read about today's politics

I had know idea this went on in the back ground of politics. A must read.

Captivating

Very detailed and captivating. Wonder how Yaakov got all this intel and inside the minds of israel and US's leaders

Deep dive into Israeli politics

Really interesting telling of how Israel checked Syrian nuclear ambitions and pulled off an amazing operation without leaks.

A Secret

Inside info that was secret for a Decade! Wow - a must read or a listen.