Night of the Gliders | |
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Part of the South Lebanon conflict (1985–2000) | |
![]() Soldiers inspecting a glider | |
The attack site | |
Native name | ליל הגלשונים |
Location | East of Kiryat Shmona, Israel (near the Lebanese border) |
Coordinates | 33°13′23″N 35°36′06″E / 33.22306°N 35.60167°E |
Date | 25 November 1987 |
Attack type | Surprise attack, mass shooting |
Deaths | 6 Israeli soldiers (+2 attackers) |
Injured | 8 Israeli soldiers |
Perpetrator | PFLP-GC |
No. of participants | 2 |
The Night of the Gliders[1] (Hebrew: ליל הגלשונים, lit. 'Leil HaGilshonim') was an attack by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command (PFLP-GC) against Israeli soldiers in northern Israel on 25 November 1987, in which two Palestinian guerrillas infiltrated into Israel from South Lebanon using hang gliders to launch a surprise attack. One militant was tracked down and killed by Israeli security forces before entering Israel. The other managed to cross into Israel, shooting an army tuck and entering an IDF base, killing six Israeli soldiers and wounding at least seven others before being shot dead.
The Israeli military was heavily criticized for its perceived impotence in the face of the attack, despite Israel initially detecting the hang gliders and issuing warnings to nearby posts. Due to the use of hang gliders and the Israeli military's inability to stop an attack despite its military prowess, the Night of the Gliders has been compared to the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel.