This image is the cover for the book Shadow Strike

Shadow Strike

The untold story of how the Israeli military stopped Syria from becoming a global nuclear nightmare—"reads like an international thriller" (Jonathan Kirsch, Jewish Journal Review).

On September 6, 2007, shortly after midnight, Israeli fighters advanced on Deir ez-Zour in Syria. They were on a covert operation to destroy a secret nuclear reactor being built by North Korea in the Syrian desert. Shadow Strike tells the story of the espionage, political courage, military might and psychological warfare behind Israel’s daring operation to stop one of the greatest known acts of nuclear proliferation. 

Jerusalem Post journalist Yaakov Katz brings to life Israel’s powerful military and diplomatic alliance with the United States, revealing the debates President Bush had with Vice President Cheney and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. He also shines a light on the diplomatic and military planning that took place in the Oval Office, the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem, and inside the IDF’s underground war room beneath Tel Aviv.

Katz also assesses the continued impact of this operation and bracingly asks the question: had Israel not carried out this mission, what would the Middle East look like today?

A 2019 National Jewish Book Award Finalist

Yaakov Katz

Yaakov Katz is Editor-in-Chief of The Jerusalem Post. He previously served for close to a decade as the paper's military reporter and defense analyst and is the co-author of the books: The Weapon Wizards: How Israel Became a High-Tech Military Superpower and Israel vs. Iran: The Shadow War. Prior to taking up the role of Editor-in-Chief, Katz served for two years as a senior policy adviser to Israel’s Minister of Economy and Minister of Diaspora Affairs. In 2013, Katz was one of 12 international fellows to spend a year at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University. Originally from Chicago, Katz also has a law degree from Bar Ilan University. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife and four children.

St. Martin’s Press