The Lavon Affair (Operation Susannah)
Verified: Documented in primary records or confirmed by reputable inquiry/reporting.
In summer 1954 Israeli military intelligence recruited Egyptian Jews to plant bombs in Egypt in a false-flag operation codenamed Susannah. Eleven were arrested. Two were condemned to hang and six others received long prison terms.
Documented
The IDF Archives exhibition states the operation, the trial dates, the sentences, and that Defence Minister Pinhas Lavon resigned in February 1955 and Prime Minister Ben-Gurion later resigned.
Claimed, disputed or not established
“Who gave the instruction” remained disputed. Military intelligence chief Benjamin Gibli claimed a verbal instruction from Lavon; Lavon denied any knowledge. A two-man commission appointed by the Prime Minister did not establish the truth, per the IDF Archives.
Sources (opened in a new tab)
- IDF Archives: The ‘Unfortunate’ or the Lavon affair ↗https://archives.mod.gov.il/sites/English/Exhibitions/Pages/The-Lavon-affair.aspx
Connected
- Section: Israel
- Countries: Israel, Egypt
- Case board · Timeline (1954) · Document vault