The first consignment of Phantom jets has been assigned to an Air Force base, military sources said today. The aircraft was described as a plane which “can dictate battle conditions. It is stronger, faster and its altitude peak is higher than any other plane in Israel or in the other Mideast countries.”
Assessing public reaction to the arrival of the long-awaited planes, JTA’s Tel Aviv correspondent Itzhak Shargil said: “The first consignment has been a real boost to Israeli morale—not that it was low, but Israelis now feel that with the Phantoms they have a real deterrent to war. Their presence will give Israel time which may be utilized in the search for a peace settlement.”
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.