Operation Yiftach
Encyclopedia
Operation Yiftach was an offensive of the Israeli Haganah
between 28 April and 29 May 1948 aimed at capturing the eastern Galilee
. The central objectives were the capture of Safed
and the securing of the Lebanese
and Syria
n borders before the British Mandate ended on 14 May 1948. It was carried out by two Palmach
battalions commanded by Yigal Allon
.
which aimed at securing the areas allocated to the Jewish state in the UN partition plan before the end of the British Mandate in Palestine. With the ending of the Mandate in sight, British forces had begun to withdraw from less strategic areas such as north-eastern Galilee. In these areas there was a scramble by both sides to occupy abandoned police and military facilities. Local militias and Arab volunteers had taken over the Palestine Police forts in Safed and at Nebi Yusha. On 17 April the Haganah launched an attack on the fort at Nebi Yusha, which failed. A second attack
on 20 April resulted in the deaths of twenty two of the attackers. As a result of this defeat Yigal Allon, the Palmach C.O. was given command of the operation. Nebi Yusha was finally taken on 20 April in an attack in which planes dropped incenduary bombs on the fort. The army camp at Rosh Pinna
was handed over to the Haganah/Palmach by its British commander on 28 April. Allon approached the campaign believing that the best way of securing the frontiers was to clear the area completely of all Arab forces and inhabitants. This operation was to be the foundation of his reputation that 'he left no Arab civilian communities in his wake.'
Safed had a pre-war population of 10,000–12,000 Arabs and 1,500 Jews, and was the base for 700-800 local and foreign irregulars. The attack on Safed was similar to the attack on Arab Tiberias on 16-17 April, in that it began with a particularly destructive attack on a neighbouring village resulting in loss of morale in the town.
1 km North of Safed. It began shelling the village at 03:00 in the morning, using one of the first Davidka
mortars as well as two 3-inch and eight 2-inch conventional mortars. The Davidka was a homemade mortar that fired an oversized shell and was nearly useless due to its inaccuracy, but was useful because of the loud noise of the projectile when it flew and detonated. Although hardly capable of causing casualties, the weapon actually was quite effective in demoralizing defending Arabs, some of whom reportedly even thought the explosions were "atomic bombs", which they knew Jews had helped to develop.
Once they entered the village most of the 'young adult males' fled but 37 were taken prisoner and were probably amongst the 70 men executed in a valley between the village and Safed two days later. Those who remained in the village were rounded up and expelled. Over the next two days Palmach sappers blew up and burnt houses in the village. There followed a sub-operation, Operation Matateh
, starting on 4 May, which cleared five Bedouin tribes from the Jordan Valley south of Rosh Pinna.
On 6 May the Palmach launched a ground attack on Safed, but failed to take the citadel. The failure was blamed on insufficient bombardment. Despite Arab attempts to negotiate a truce and the British Army being authorised to intervene, a second attack was launched on night of 9-10 May. It was preceded by a 'massive, concentrated' mortar bombardment in which the Davidka was used again. An Israeli account describes the final assault as occurring in heavy rainfall, with Palmach forces fighting "all night, attacking in waves up the hilly streets of the town, fighting from house to house and from room to room.'
Following the capture of Safed, Palmach units moved north to secure the borders with Lebanon and Syria. On 14–15 May the Palmach's 1st Battalion was involved in a clash with Lebanese units at Qabas. In his later writing Allon claimed that a 'whispering' campaign he launched was of great importance. This involved local Jewish mukhtar
s who had contacts in local Arab communities being told "to whisper in the ears of several Arabs that giant Jewish reinforcements had reached Galilee and were about to clean out the villages of the Hula". An IDF
intelligence report attributed success to this tactic in the case of ten villages, though it suggest that some may also have been bombarded. There is some evidence that 'Syrian officers or Arab irregular commanders' ordered women and children be evacuated from villages north-east of Rosh Pinna.
, on the morning of 11 May "the by-now-familiar mass Arab evacuation from the town began." The only civilians who remained in Safed were "about" 100 Muslims, "average age 80" and "34-36 elderly Christian Arabs". In late May or early June the Muslims were "expelled" to Lebanon and on 13 June the Christians were removed by lorry to Haifa. 4-5,000 Bedouin and villagers who remained in the Hula area after the creation of the state of Israel were trucked across the Syrian border during the 1956 Suez War.
Haganah
Haganah was a Jewish paramilitary organization in what was then the British Mandate of Palestine from 1920 to 1948, which later became the core of the Israel Defense Forces.- Origins :...
between 28 April and 29 May 1948 aimed at capturing the eastern Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
. The central objectives were the capture of Safed
Safed
Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters...
and the securing of the Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n borders before the British Mandate ended on 14 May 1948. It was carried out by two Palmach
Palmach
The Palmach was the elite fighting force of the Haganah, the underground army of the Yishuv during the period of the British Mandate of Palestine. The Palmach was established on May 15, 1941...
battalions commanded by Yigal Allon
Yigal Allon
Yigal Allon was an Israeli politician, a commander of the Palmach, and a general in the IDF. He served as one of the leaders of Ahdut HaAvoda party and the Israeli Labor party, and acting Prime Minister of Israel, and was a member of the Knesset and government minister from the 10th through the...
.
Background
Operation Yiftach was part of Plan DaletPlan Dalet
Plan Dalet, or Plan D, was a plan worked out by the Haganah, a Jewish paramilitary group and the forerunner of the Israel Defense Forces, in Palestine in autumn 1947 to spring 1948. Its purpose is much debated...
which aimed at securing the areas allocated to the Jewish state in the UN partition plan before the end of the British Mandate in Palestine. With the ending of the Mandate in sight, British forces had begun to withdraw from less strategic areas such as north-eastern Galilee. In these areas there was a scramble by both sides to occupy abandoned police and military facilities. Local militias and Arab volunteers had taken over the Palestine Police forts in Safed and at Nebi Yusha. On 17 April the Haganah launched an attack on the fort at Nebi Yusha, which failed. A second attack
Metzudat Koach
The Metzudat Koach Memorial commemorates 28 soldiers who died during the 1948 conquest of a strategically important fort. The fort and observation point is located in the Upper Galilee, close to the tomb of Nabi Yusha...
on 20 April resulted in the deaths of twenty two of the attackers. As a result of this defeat Yigal Allon, the Palmach C.O. was given command of the operation. Nebi Yusha was finally taken on 20 April in an attack in which planes dropped incenduary bombs on the fort. The army camp at Rosh Pinna
Rosh Pinna
Rosh Pinna is a town of approximately 2,500 people located in the Upper Galilee on the eastern slopes of Mount Kna'anin, the Northern District of Israel. The town was founded in 1882 by thirty immigrant families from Romania, making it one of the oldest Zionist settlements in Israel...
was handed over to the Haganah/Palmach by its British commander on 28 April. Allon approached the campaign believing that the best way of securing the frontiers was to clear the area completely of all Arab forces and inhabitants. This operation was to be the foundation of his reputation that 'he left no Arab civilian communities in his wake.'
Safed had a pre-war population of 10,000–12,000 Arabs and 1,500 Jews, and was the base for 700-800 local and foreign irregulars. The attack on Safed was similar to the attack on Arab Tiberias on 16-17 April, in that it began with a particularly destructive attack on a neighbouring village resulting in loss of morale in the town.
Operation
On 1 May 1948, the Palmach's 3rd Battalion attacked the village of Ein al-ZeitunEin al-Zeitun
Ein al-Zeitun, also spelled Ein Zaytun, Ein ez-Zeitun, Ain al-Zaytun or Ain el-Zeitun, was a Palestinian Arab village, located north of Safad in the Upper Galilee. In 1945, the village had a population of 820 inhabitants and a total land area of 1,100 dunams. Ein al-Zeitun was entirely Muslim...
1 km North of Safed. It began shelling the village at 03:00 in the morning, using one of the first Davidka
Davidka
The Davidka was a homemade Israeli mortar used in Safed and Jerusalem during the early stages of the 1948 Israeli War of Independence. Its bombs were reported to be extremely loud, but very inaccurate and otherwise of little value beyond terrifying opponents; they proved particularly useful in...
mortars as well as two 3-inch and eight 2-inch conventional mortars. The Davidka was a homemade mortar that fired an oversized shell and was nearly useless due to its inaccuracy, but was useful because of the loud noise of the projectile when it flew and detonated. Although hardly capable of causing casualties, the weapon actually was quite effective in demoralizing defending Arabs, some of whom reportedly even thought the explosions were "atomic bombs", which they knew Jews had helped to develop.
Once they entered the village most of the 'young adult males' fled but 37 were taken prisoner and were probably amongst the 70 men executed in a valley between the village and Safed two days later. Those who remained in the village were rounded up and expelled. Over the next two days Palmach sappers blew up and burnt houses in the village. There followed a sub-operation, Operation Matateh
Operation Matateh
Operation Matateh was a Haganah offensive launched ten days before the end of the British Mandate in Palestine. It was a sub-section of Operation Yiftach, with the objectivies of capturing the flatlands between Lake Tiberias and Lake Hula and clear the area of Bedouin encampments...
, starting on 4 May, which cleared five Bedouin tribes from the Jordan Valley south of Rosh Pinna.
On 6 May the Palmach launched a ground attack on Safed, but failed to take the citadel. The failure was blamed on insufficient bombardment. Despite Arab attempts to negotiate a truce and the British Army being authorised to intervene, a second attack was launched on night of 9-10 May. It was preceded by a 'massive, concentrated' mortar bombardment in which the Davidka was used again. An Israeli account describes the final assault as occurring in heavy rainfall, with Palmach forces fighting "all night, attacking in waves up the hilly streets of the town, fighting from house to house and from room to room.'
Following the capture of Safed, Palmach units moved north to secure the borders with Lebanon and Syria. On 14–15 May the Palmach's 1st Battalion was involved in a clash with Lebanese units at Qabas. In his later writing Allon claimed that a 'whispering' campaign he launched was of great importance. This involved local Jewish mukhtar
Mukhtar
Mukhtar meaning "chosen" in Arabic, refers to the head of a village or mahalle in many Arab countries as well as in Turkey and Cyprus. The name refers to the fact that mukhtars are usually selected by some consensual or participatory method, often involving an election. Mukhtar is also a common...
s who had contacts in local Arab communities being told "to whisper in the ears of several Arabs that giant Jewish reinforcements had reached Galilee and were about to clean out the villages of the Hula". An IDF
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
intelligence report attributed success to this tactic in the case of ten villages, though it suggest that some may also have been bombarded. There is some evidence that 'Syrian officers or Arab irregular commanders' ordered women and children be evacuated from villages north-east of Rosh Pinna.
Aftermath
In the words of Chaim HerzogChaim Herzog
Chaim Herzog served as the sixth President of Israel , following a distinguished career in both the British Army and the Israel Defense Forces .-Early life:...
, on the morning of 11 May "the by-now-familiar mass Arab evacuation from the town began." The only civilians who remained in Safed were "about" 100 Muslims, "average age 80" and "34-36 elderly Christian Arabs". In late May or early June the Muslims were "expelled" to Lebanon and on 13 June the Christians were removed by lorry to Haifa. 4-5,000 Bedouin and villagers who remained in the Hula area after the creation of the state of Israel were trucked across the Syrian border during the 1956 Suez War.
Arab communities captured during Operation Yiftach
| Name | Date | Defending forces | Brigade | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 'Arab al-Zubayd | 20 April 1948 | villagers fled | n/a | 800 |
| Al 'Ulmaniyya | 20 April 1984 | n/a | n/a | 260 |
| Kirad al-Ghannama Kirad al-Ghannama Kirad al-Ghannama was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on April 22, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach. It was located 11 km northeast of Safad... |
22 April 1948 | evacuated | n/a | 350 |
| Kirad al-Walid | 22 April 1948 | evacuated | n/a | 280 |
| Tulayl Tulayl Tulayl was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad located northeast of Safad. It was situated on small, sandy hill on the southwestern shore of Lake Hula, near the merging of two wadis. Together with the nearby village of al-Husayniyya, it had a population of 340 in 1945... |
late April 1948 | n/a | n/a | 340 |
| Al-Didara | April/May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 100 |
| Al-Shuna Al-Shuna Al-Shuna was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on April 30, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach. It was located 6 km south of Safad, overlooking the deep gorge of Wadi al-'Amud.In... |
April/May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 170 |
| Ein al-Zaytun | 1 May 1948 | none | Palmach 3rd Battalion | 820 |
| Biriyya Biriyya Biriyya was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 2, 1948 by The Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach. It was located northeast of Safad... |
1 May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 240 |
| Ghuraba Ghuraba Ghuraba was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1948 War on May 28, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach. It was located 22 km northeast of Safad.In 1945 it had a population of 220.... |
1 May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 220 |
| Khiyam al-Wali | 1 May 1948 | evacuated | n/a | 280 |
| Al-Muftakhira Al-Muftakhira Al-Muftakhira was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1948 War on May 16, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach. It was located 25.5 km northeast of Safad.... |
1 & 16 May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 350 |
| Fir'im Fir'im Fir'im was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad that was depopulated during the 1948 Palestine war. It was first attacked during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 2, 1948, by the Palmach's First Battalion during Operation Yiftach. In 1945 the population had... |
2 & 26 May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 740 |
| Muqhr ql-Khayt | 2 May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 490 |
| Qabba'a Qabba'a Qabba'a was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1948 War on May 26, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach. It was located 6 km northeast of Safad.... |
2 May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 460 |
| Al-Wayziyya Al-Wayziyya Al-Wayziyya was a former Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 1, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach. It was located 8.5 km northeast of Safad.In 1945, the village had a... |
2 May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 100 |
| Jubb Yusuf Jubb Yusuf Jubb Yusuf was a Palestinian village depopulated in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.Situated in rocky terrain northwest of Lake Tiberias, the village was associated with a nearby well, Jubb Yussef , which was the site of a khan or caravan stopping place for centuries.-History:Under the Ottoman Empire,... |
4 May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 170 |
| Harrawi Harrawi Harrawi was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on May 25, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach. It was located 18 km northeast of Safad.... |
5 & 25 May 1948 | Arab Liberation Army | n/a | n/a |
| 'Akbara 'Akbara Akbara was a Palestinian village, located 2.5 kilometres south of Safad, which was depopulated in 1948.- Location :The village of 'Akbara was situated 2.5 km south of Safad, along the two sides of a deep wadi that ran north-south. Southeast of the village lay Khirbat al-Uqayba, identified as... |
9 May 1948 | 15-20 villagers | Palmach 1st Battalion | 390 |
| Al-Ja'una Al-Ja'una Al-Ja'una or Ja'ouna , was a Palestinian village situated in Galilee on the slopes of Mount Canaan near al-Houleh Plateau, overlooking the Jordan Valley. The village lay on a beautiful hill side 450–500 meters above sea level, 5 kilometers east of Safad near a major road connecting Safad with... |
9 May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 1,150 |
| Safed Safed Safed , is a city in the Northern District of Israel. Located at an elevation of , Safed is the highest city in the Galilee and of Israel. Due to its high elevation, Safed experiences warm summers and cold, often snowy, winters... |
9/10 May 1948 | Arab Liberation Army local militia |
Palmach | 12,610 9,780 Moslem 2,400 Jews 430 Christians |
| Abil al-Qamh Abil al-Qamh Abil al-Qamh was a Palestinian Arab village located north of Safad and south of the Lebanese-Israeli border. It was built in a hilly area north of the Hula Valley.-History:... |
10 May 1948 | n/a | Palmach 1st Battalion | 330 |
| Al-Zahiriyya al-Tahta Al-Zahiriyya al-Tahta Al-Zahiriyya al-Tahta was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1948 Palestine War. The village was located 1 km west of Safad and covered an area of 16,304 dunums.-Bibliography:... |
10 May 1948 | village militia 20-30 men |
n/a | 350 |
| Dallata Dallata Dallata was a Palestinian Arab village, located on a hilltop north of Safad. Constructed upon an ancient site, it was known to the Crusaders as Deleha. Dallata was included in the late 16th century Ottoman census and British censuses of the 20th century... |
10-11 May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 360 |
| Qaddita Qaddita Qaddita was a Palestinian Arab village of 240, located northwest of Safad. It was captured and depopulated in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, with some of its inhabitants fleeing to nearby Akbara where they live as internally displaced Palestinians and others to refugee camps in Lebanon or... |
by 11 May 1948 | n/a | whispering campaign | 240 |
| Al-Buwayziyya Al-Buwayziyya Al-Buwayziyya was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 11, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach. It was located 22 km northeast of Safad.... |
11 May 1948 | villagers fled | n/a | 510 |
| Al-Khalisa Al-Khalisa Al-Khalisa was a Palestinian Arab village situated on a low hill on the northwestern edge of the Hula Valley of over 1,800 located north of Safad.-History:... |
11 May 1948 | village militia | n/a | 1,840 |
| Al-Zuq Al-Tahtani Al-Zuq al-Tahtani Al-Zuq al-Tahtani was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 11, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach. It was located 30 km northeast of Safad.In 1945, the village had a total... |
11 May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 1,050 |
| Al-Malikiyya Al-Malikiyya al-Malikiyya was a Lebanese village located in the Jabal Amil district of Lebanon. In a 1920s census, the village was registered as Lebanon. It was later placed under the British Mandate of Palestine. Its population was Metawali Shiite, and were originally considered to be from Lebanon... |
12 May 1948 changed hands 15 May, 29 May, 7 June, Operation Hiram |
Arab Liberation Army 2nd Yarmuk Battalion |
Palmach | 360 |
| Hunin | 14 May 1948 | village militia | n/a | 1,620 |
| Al-Na'ima Al-Na'ima Al-Na'ima was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 14, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach... |
14 May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 1,240 inc. 210 Jews |
| Al-Shawka al-Tahta Al-Shawka al-Tahta Al-Shawka al-Tahta was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 14, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach... |
14 May 1948 | villagers fled | n/a | 200 |
| Khan al-Duway | 15 May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 260 |
| Qatiyya | 19 May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 940 |
| Lazzaza Lazzaza Lazzaza was a Palestinian Arab village of 230 in the northern Hula Valley next to the Hasbani River, located northwest of Safad.-History:Travelers in the nineteenth century describe Lazzaza, while under Ottoman rule, as a village of 70 people built of adobe bricks and situated on a plain near a... |
21 May 1948 | evacuated | whispering campaign | 230 inc 100 Jews |
| Al-Zuq al-Fauqani | 21 May 1948 | village militia 20-30 men |
whispering campaign | 160 |
| 'Ammuqa | 24 May 1948 | evacuated | Palmach | 140 |
| Al-Zawiya Al-Zawiya Al-Zawiya was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 24, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach. It was located 23 km northeast of Safad.... |
24 May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 760 |
| Al-Manshiya | 24 May 1948 | n/a | whispering campaign | n/a |
| Jalula | 24/25 May | n/a | n/a | 420 |
| Al-'Abisiyya Al-'Abisiyya Al-'Abisiyya was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War on May 29, 1948 by The Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach. It was located 28.5 km northeast of Safad near to the Banyas River which the village relied on... |
25 May 1948 | n/a | whispering campaign | 1,510 inc. 290 Jews |
| Baysamun Baysamun Baysamun was a small Palestinian Arab village, located northeast of Safad. In 1945, it had a population of 20. It was depopulated during the 1948 War on May 25, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion in Operation Yiftach.... |
25 May 1948 | n/a | whispering campaign | 20 |
| Al-Dawwara Al-Dawwara Al-Dawwara was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1948 War on May 25, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach... |
25 May 1948 | n/a | whispering campaign | 1,100 inc. 400 Jews |
| Al-Khisas Al-Khisas Al-Khisas was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad in Mandate Palestine.-Geography:Al-Khisas was located north northeast of Safad upon a natural terrace about wide. The terrace was formed thousands of years earlier after ancient Lake al-Hula receded... |
25 May 1948 | n/a | whispering campaign | 530 inc. 60 Jews |
| Mallaha Mallaha Mallaha was a Palestinian Arab village, located northeast of Safed, on the highway between the latter and Tiberias. 'Ain Mallaha is the local Arabic name for a spring that served as the water source for the village inhabitants throughout the ages... |
25 May | villagers fled | whispering campaign | 890 |
| Al-Mansura, Safad Al-Mansura, Safad Al-Mansura was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1948 War on May 25, 1948 under Operation Yiftach. It was located 31 km northeast of Safad on the Banyas River. In 1945 it had a population of 360.... |
25 May 1948 | n/a | whispering campaign | 360 |
| al- Salihiyya | 25 May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 1,520 |
| Qadas Qadas Qadas was a Lebanese village located 17 kilometers northeast of Safad that was depopulated during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. One of seven Shiite Muslim villages called Metawalis that fell within the boundaries of British Mandate Palestine, Qadas lay adjacent to Nebi Yusha, near the tel of the... |
28/29 May changed hands 7 June, Operation Hiram |
Lebanese Army | n/a | 390 |
| Al-Dirbashiyya Al-Dirbashiyya Al-Dirbashiyya was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 10, 1948 by the Palmach's First Battalion of Operation Yiftach. It was located 20 km northeast of Safad in the Hula Valley, bordering Hula... |
May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 310 |
| Al-Sanbariyya Al-Sanbariyya Al-Sanbariyya was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 1, 1948 by Palmach's First Battalion under Operation Yiftach... |
May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 130 |
| Taytaba Taytaba Taytaba was a Palestinian Arab village in the District of Safad. It was depopulated during the 1947–1948 Civil War in Mandatory Palestine on May 1, 1948 under Operation Hiram. It was located 5 km north of Safad overlooking Wadi Taytaba, a tributary of Wadi Waqqas.In 1945, the village had a... |
May 1948 | n/a | n/a | 530 |