On 4 February 1986, Israeli jets intercepted a Libyan executive jet on its way from Tripoli to Damascus. Intelligence sources indicated that on board were senior terrorist leaders, including Achmed Jibril. On the ground in Israel, no major terrorist figure was found and the jet was released Mr. Shamir explained the reasons for the interception and felt that little harm was caused to Israel in view of the growing international concern for the struggle against terrorism emanating from Libya and Syria. He thought that while the safety of civil aviation was important, there were exceptional cases, and this was one of them. Text:
Q: Was the possible harm to Israel's standing in the international arena taken into account when the decision was made to intercept the Libyan jet?
A: I think that no harm will be done to Israel's international standing, since perhaps the most important international problem on the agenda today is war against international terrorism. And the latest Israeli act must be seen within the framework of this struggle against international terrorism. Therefore Israel does not deserve condemnation, but rather praise.
Q: Are you pleased with the way the decision was taken?
A: It's easy to be clever after the fact. But in this war against terrorism sometimes there is a need to take decisions within minutes. And this is the decision that was taken, within the framework of the short time that the decision-makers had at their disposal, and I think that they made the right decision.
Q: The interception might lead to escalation of terrorism. Shouldn't this fact also have been taken into consideration?
A: Escalation of terrorist acts on the part of terrorist organizations, or on the part of certain Arab states does not depend on what Israel does. If they are able to perpetrate harsh and dangerous acts against us, they will do it. The only limitation is [their] capability. It's a fact that the first to hijack planes and passengers were members of terrorist organizations and Syria itself.
Q: Will Israel continue its efforts against terrorist leaders?
A: I'll tell you, we have a very correct proverb: "Time betrays and hangs the thief." As long as terrorism continues, we shall combat it, and therefore we shall also get to the leaders of terrorist organizations. We shall get to them, sooner or later, be it Abu Nidal, or somebody else. They must know that they will receive their punishment.
Q: You say that Israel deserves praise for this interception, but many countries are saying that it's important to maintain the safety of civil aviation.
A: It's by all means important, but there are exceptional cases. And this is one of the exceptional cases that justify an extraordinary act like an interception of a plane. You said it's a civilian aircraft. It's not so much a civilian aircraft, since it's a plane that is at the disposal of terrorists, and they use it to carry out their operations or activity.