The Invasion of Syria and Lebanon
The invasion of Syria and Lebanon refers to the attachment of detachments of Jewish fighters that served as guides for the Australian forces on the night between the 7th and 8th of June 1941.
The term "Invasion of Syria and Lebanon" refers to the inclusion of Jewish fighter detachments that served as guides for the Australian forces on the night between the 7th and 8th of June 1941. This is an important term in the annals of the Palmach, and in the history of the cooperation between the organized Jewish Yishuv in Mandatory Palestine and the British army during the Second World War.
The Vichy government (the French regime that remained loyal to the Nazi government after the capture of France in June of 1940) in Syria and Lebanon brought the battle front to the borders of Mandatory Palestine. This reinforced the British's willingness to take advantage of desire of the leaders of the Jewish Yishuv to take a more active role in the war. Negotiations between the British Army Command in the Middle East and representatives of the Jewish Agency resulted in intelligence and sabotage operations that were conducted as part of the cooperation. Several operations had already been staged in Syria and Lebanon before they were conquered by the British. The departure of the 23 Yordei Hasira (23 seamen), accompanied by a British officer, on board the "Sea Lion", on May 1941, on a sabotage mission in Tripoli, was conducted as part of this cooperation. The 24 never returned to shore, yet cooperation activities continued.
The Vichy government (the French regime that remained loyal to the Nazi government after the capture of France in June of 1940) in Syria and Lebanon brought the battle front to the borders of Mandatory Palestine. This reinforced the British's willingness to take advantage of desire of the leaders of the Jewish Yishuv to take a more active role in the war. Negotiations between the British Army Command in the Middle East and representatives of the Jewish Agency resulted in intelligence and sabotage operations that were conducted as part of the cooperation. Several operations had already been staged in Syria and Lebanon before they were conquered by the British. The departure of the 23 Yordei Hasira (23 seamen), accompanied by a British officer, on board the "Sea Lion", on May 1941, on a sabotage mission in Tripoli, was conducted as part of this cooperation. The 24 never returned to shore, yet cooperation activities continued.