Mossad: The Greatest Missions of the Israeli Secret Service

A very compelling read as it provides the stories behind the news stories. Easy to read and understand. Reader will come away impressed with Mossad, understand better the why of its approach and, albeit reluctantly, agree with its approach,

I enjoyed reading this book. Definitely a page turner. Learned some things that you would never hear on the news.

I read ~50% of the Kindle edition about three years ago, but put it down, because it needed a more leisurely read. “Mossad” got lost amongst my TBRs. Just before The Winter Olympics 2022, I read an article about the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre—during which Palestinian terrorists took Israeli athletes hostage and killed eleven. The terrorists called themselves “Black September.”Although I have the Kindle book, I bought the audiobook, because I like narrator Benjamin Isaacs’ smooth reading style. I listened to the 21 chapters over ~10 days. Each chapter details a specific Mossad mission, more then one if missions intersected.At first, chapters are not in chronological order. Chapter one takes place in 1971, the second in 2011, and the third in 1948. After that, chapters proceed chronologically. I focused on Chapter 12, which summarizes the Olympics Massacre and discusses the German response, including German refusal of Israel’s best commando unit. Soon, Mossad watched helplessly as the Germans failed spectacularly. The bulk of Chapter 12 features Mossad’s missions against “Black September”—detailing their successes and failures.I was interested in the geopolitical “situations” in Germany, UK, US, etc. In 2007-8, US president GW Bush refused to green-light Israeli bombing of Iranian nuclear sites. Yet, I do remember “Bomb Bomb Bomb Iraq” 2003, because of fake WMDs. But no “Bomb Iran” over authentic nuke materials? Another no to bombing a Syrian nuclear reactor in 2008. GWB was embarrassed after no Iraqi WMDs, according to then VP Dick Cheney. Israel bombed both facilities.I recommend this book to anyone interested in reading about intelligence agencies.

Very good reading. Enlightening, it's a page turner and even though is non fiction, It feels like an action movie.

The book is written in a really exciting way, dramatically explaining the nature of the Mossad operations. Additionally, this book reveals to a good extent the structure of Mossad hierarchy and dome legendary Mossad agents who held the port for them throughout Mossad’s history.

This is an interesting and engaging book. Written by an expert on espionage who served in the Knesset and as an advisor to Moshe Dayan and by a political reporter, the book recounts, in effect, the Mossad's greatest missions. So says the book's subtitle, but the book also recounts some embarrassments, some slipups and some tragedies (such as the death of the current prime minister's older brother at Entebbe).Reviewers have commented on the quality of the writing. I had no problem with the writing (except for an occasional odd use of a preposition), but the potential reader should be aware of the fact that the book is replete with facts and their accumulated impact can take a toll on the reader's attention. In other words, this is a book that you need to read when you are fresh. It is a dense, journalistic account of a series of discrete actions, arranged chronologically (though some of the events overlap as, e.g., when multiple individuals are being sought by the Israeli security forces).Each of the stories carries its own interest, but equally interesting are the overarching techniques used by the Mossad—stakeouts, walkthroughs, the introduction and extraction of agents, the use of credentials and disguises, multinational agents and weaponry.Each reader will bring his or her own interests to the read. I was particularly interested in the Israeli reaction to Black September's murders at the Munich Olympics. All should be interested in their current interactions with Iran and its nuclear ambitions.Bottom line: a dense but rewarding read that results in an appreciation for the nature of the Mossad, the personalities of its heads, their place within the Jewish state and their role in international affairs.

For such a small nation, Israel has a remarkable security services. You may not agree with their principles or ideology but one thing you can't deny, you don't want to mess with them. They don't forget what you did and they can get to you anywhere in the world. The book has insight from both Mossad leaders and operatives based on real time events. I personally found it a very interesting read. Given it 4 stars as when I got to the end, my Kindle said only 70% of the book had been read. It then goes on to detail all the journalist sources and events for the book.

I have all the other Mossad books and I must say, this one does not disappoint.There is a current revival about some of the greatest Mossad ops and this book expands on what is already known.I love the fact Israel takes care of its own and have one of the most elite military forces and special operations in the world.Easily readable, well written, and perfectly executed

Superb, couldn’t put it down. Terrorism does not work whereas conversation can. Produces a profound respect for the people of Israel and their continued struggle to exist as a free nation. Questions may be asked about Israel’s espionage tactics and killings, but what nation would act differently given their situation. I’m sure most if not all western countries have and do behave similarly. Great book.

Fairly well written book on the origins and history of Mossad, Israel's answer to the KGB.In spite of the number of sometimes questionable extra-judicial killings (assassinations) and the apparent relentless need for retribution, I came away from this book with a far greater understanding of Israel's very real and understandable use of the preemptive strike to defend not just its right to exist but to protect its citizens from regimes that have sworn to destroy it and them.This book does not set out to justify, but to explain. And not everyone involved on the Israeli side is painted as a saint. This is no puff piece.

Being a lover of spy fiction I have across Mossad in many thrillers. All these novels & movies would portray Mossad as the most lethal secret service in the world. Many online articles also make the same claim. When I learnt about this non-fiction book which claims to tell the stories of the greatest missions of the agency, I knew I had to get the book.I was expecting that the book would probably throw light on the spectacular success stories of the agency. But, as it turned out the book also talked about the failures, embarrassments, misuse of power at the agency’s top,and internal disputes in the organization.There are 21 chapters in the book – each tells the story of a different mission.You will see Mossad agents hunting Nazi war criminals in South America, apprehending deserters, assassinating enemies, and even carrying out rescue operations involving Jews in hostile nations. One mission stood out when Mossad had been tasked with rescuing a child kidnapped by his Orthodox grandfather and smuggled abroad with the help of some powerful people. Once, Mossad also made a Nazi war hero work for them.In the pages of this book – you will meet some extraordinary men & women; some in the service of Mossad while some were the “enemies”.Each mission reads like a spy thriller. Not some outlandish James Bond adventure – but, something more realistic. The planning, the reconnaissance, the actual execution, the dangers & consequences of capture and not to forget the element of dumb luck – everything is so thrilling.The authors have included thirty odd pages of bibliography at the end of the book and claimed to use the most reliable information sources. But, in my humble opinion when Mossad is involved – we can never be sure of anything. The authors might have spared no effort but still! We will probably never know the complete truth. Nevertheless, the book was an entertaining read.It would have been better if the authors had included some geo-political background. It would have allowed readers to better understand the context.We can debate the legality or ethics of these missions endlessly – people had been assassinated and at times even innocents died. I would only say that if you find the content interesting then you might want to give the book a try.