Home to F-35 squadrons, meet 'Nevatim' Airbase struck by Iran

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli media
16 Apr 2024 09:04
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The "Nevatim" Airbase is home to the "Zion Wing", the Israeli PM's plane, which was moved before Iran launched Operation True Promise.

The moment Iranian missiles hit an Israeli target in the al-Naqab Desert in occupied Palestine (Social media)

The spokesperson for the Israeli occupation military confirmed on Monday that the "Nevatim" air base was impacted by four strikes during Iran's retaliatory attack on Israeli targets.

Iranian leaders have confirmed that the Israeli warplanes that carried out the aggression that targeted the Iranian consulate in Damascus took off from "Nevatim".

Iran's Foreign Minister, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, explained during a speech to envoys and diplomatic mission representatives in Tehran that the Iranian retaliatory attack against "Israel" was limited and aimed at squadrons of F-35 aircraft.

A senior American official told ABC News that at least nine Iranian missiles penetrated Israeli anti-air systems and hit two Israeli air bases.

He added that nine ballistic missiles hit the "Nevatim" air base, causing damage to a C-130 transport plane, a runway, and storage facilities.

During a visit to the air base located east of occupied Beer al-Sabe' in Palestinian territories occupied in 1948, Daniel Hagari claimed that it suffered only minor damage in infrastructure and remains "fully functional."

#Iranian missiles striking #AlNaqab desert deep inside the occupied #Palestinian territories.#Palestine #Iran pic.twitter.com/5RvJC2Milu
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) April 13, 2024

According to a report published in the Israeli news website Ynet, the "Nevatim" air base is home to the "Zion Wing", the Israeli Prime Minister's plane, which was moved before Iran launched Operation True Promise.

The news website added that the base also houses Israeli F-35 aircraft squadrons, as well as transport squadrons, such as Super Hercules (Samson) and Hercules (Rhino) aircraft.

Ynet highlighted that there are three F-35 squadrons in "Nevatim" - the Lions of the South (116), the First Jet (117), and the Golden Eagle (140). These are the same stealth fighter jets that reportedly intercepted Iranian drones and missiles.

Touching on the history of the air base, Ynet mentioned that "Nevatim" was inaugurated in 1983, after the Israeli Air Force bases were evacuated from Sinai, as part of the Camp David normalization agreement with Egypt.

In the mid-90s, the Israeli leadership considered shutting down the base or turning it into a new technical school, but the commander of the base at the time, Amos Yadlin, rejected the plan, and eventually, the base remained functional.

"Nevatim" in those years was small but witnessed a construction boom in the early 2000s, as hundreds of pilots, technical staff members, technicians, and employees were transferred to the base. They built aircraft hangars, ammunition bunkers, and dozens of residential units for aircrew.

In mid-January, Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Squadron 116 in the air base and met with the commander of "Nevatim", Brigadier General Yotam Sigler, where the two reviewed the various missions that the squadron performs: assisting Israeli occupation forces in Gaza, attacking targets in Lebanon, and detecting and intercepting air targets.

According to Ynet, the "Nevatim" air base also made headlines three years ago after a Palestinian man reportedly broke into it with a car, abandoned the car, ran a distance of about 1,300 meters inside the base, climbed over a fence, and successfully fled the scene before being detained a few days later.