The Bomb That Backfired - June 7, 1981

About this episode

The episode discusses the complexities surrounding Israel's 1981 strike on Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor and its long-term implications.

On June 7, 1981, Israel destroyed Iraq's Osirak nuclear reactor in a strike that was universally condemned and later widely praised. But declassified documents and captured Iraqi archives tell a more complicated story, one in which the strike may have created the very weapons program it was designed to prevent. The Begin Doctrine born that afternoon is still shaping military action today.

People in this episode

Host: Richard G Backus

Topics covered

• military action
• nuclear reactor
• Israel
• Iraq
• historical events
• declassified documents

Keywords

• Osirak
• nuclear reactor
• Israel
• Iraq
• Begin Doctrine
• military action
• declassified documents

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Israel, Iraq

Places: Osirak

More episodes of The Daily History Chronicle

• The Hills They Would Not Sell - June 13, 1979 · June 13, 2026 · 19 min
• The Election That Ended Russian Democracy - June 12, 1991 · June 12, 2026 · 20 min
• The Fire That Changed The War - June 11, 1963 · June 11, 2026 · 18 min
• The Murder That Made Mussolini Immortal - June 10, 1924 · June 10, 2026 · 18 min
• God Died In Chains - June 9, 1900 · June 9, 2026 · 17 min
• Abandoned By their Own President - June 8, 1967 · June 8, 2026 · 17 min