CNN reporter joins Israeli strike flight into Yemen and describes his experiences

Robertson flew aboard an IDF fighter tanker plane. He was not allowed to bring his phone or a camera.

Here are some excerpts from his report:

“Aboard an aging Boeing 707, thousands of meters above the Red Sea, I put on a pair of high-tech 3D glasses and stare at the small television monitor embedded in a series of retro dials and switches. The amber desert of Saudi Arabia passes to my right, the coast of Egypt to my left, then a monstrous F35 fighter jet fills the tiny screen.

“I am in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) – the first foreign journalist to be taken on a combat mission aboard a fighter tanker aircraft more than a thousand miles from Israel.

He added:

“Israel’s invitation to join this mission did not provide any details about the aircraft’s destination. As I climb the plane’s rickety steps, I have no idea where I’m going or what this IDF flight will reveal about military operations.

“Israeli Air Force security is so strict that neither I nor Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, the IDF spokesman accompanying me, are allowed to take our cell phones on board. I’m also not allowed to bring a camera or a photojournalist.

“With the exception of the cockpit, I have access to the more than 50-year-old former airliner and its commanders, on the condition that their names are not mentioned…”

“Flying 1,200 miles (1,500 kilometers), the refueling mission I am taking part in is the IDF’s largest combat mission since an attack on Tunis in 1985.

“Shoshani reminds me of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s words to the United Nations General Assembly the day before. “There is no place … that the long arm of Israel cannot reach,” Netanyahu said, referring to Iran and the entire Middle East.

“For more than an hour and a half, Israeli F35 fighter jets, each worth more than $100 million, approached the 707 tanker and pushed toward its rear fuel line.

“The squadron commander, a 15-year tanker veteran, stares through his 3D glasses and stitches together two camera images. He presses the two long levers next to his seat and directs the nozzle to the fuel port of the gasoline-hungry fighter jet.

“No part of it is easy, he tells me. The biggest challenge, in his opinion, is ensuring that enough fuel is loaded and planning the mission down to the minute so that the F35s arrive at their destination with a full tank at the exact moment their intelligence tells them to is the best time to attack.

“As he shows me a map of the mission, I realize we are heading to the port of Hodeidah in Yemen, controlled by Houthi rebels and backed by Iran.

“Shoshani tells me that the reason for this mission is that the Houthis have fired three long-range missiles in the last two weeks, all of which were intercepted near Tel Aviv.

“The Houthis begin attacks on ships in the Red Sea, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Its flag bears the inscription: “Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews.” But experts say the popular struggle on behalf of Palestinians in Gaza has also helped the group build support in Yemen and gain international recognition.

“The Houthis claim their latest attack, launched late Saturday, targeted Netanyahu as he arrived from New York at Ben Gurion International Airport, just outside Tel Aviv.

“An impact in this area could have caused major civilian casualties and is the reason why this mission was deployed 16 hours later…”

He continued:

“I ask the tanker’s lead pilot, an experienced reserve pilot, about the challenges of such a mission and his feelings when civilians are killed. We don’t want to kill civilians, he tells me, and we’re using all the intelligence at our disposal to avoid that.

“I point out the high death toll in Gaza and Lebanon from air force attacks. We have the Houthis in our sights, he tells me, they fire rockets at our civilians and endanger them.

“The IDF says it has targeted “power plants and a seaport in the areas of Ras Issa and Hodeidah,” adding that the Houthis are using the port to “transport Iranian weapons and supplies for military needs, including oil.” to transport the region.”

“On the flight, Shoshani told me the message was also intended for Iran, a warning that while Israel was preparing for retaliatory strikes by Hezbollah in Lebanon, it wanted the group’s sponsor, Iran, to stay out of the fight.”