Operation Wrath of God
The Secret History of European Intelligence and Mossad's Assassination Campaign
Published on 7. August 2025
Book
Hardback
350 pages
978-1-009-50307-5 (ISBN)
Description
In this unprecedented history of intelligence cooperation during the Cold War, Aviva Guttmann uncovers the key role of European intelligence agencies in facilitating Mossad's Operation Wrath of God. She reveals how, in the aftermath of the 1972 Munich Olympics Massacre, Palestinians suspected of involvement in terrorism were hunted and killed by Mossad with active European cooperation. Through unique access to unredacted documents in the Club de Berne archive, she shows how a secret coalition of intelligence agencies supplied Mossad with information about Palestinians on a colossal scale and tacitly supported Israeli covert actions on European soil. These agencies helped to anticipate and thwart a number of Palestinian terrorist plots, including some revealed here for the first time. This extraordinary book reconstructs the hidden world of international intelligence, showing how this parallel order enabled state relations to be pursued independently of official foreign policy constraints or public scrutiny.
Reviews / Votes
'This book reads like a John Le Carre thriller. Packed with new revelations and gripping details, it stands out as the most authoritative account of Operation Wrath of God.' Ahron Bregman, author of The Spy Who Fell to Earth 'This is a remarkable, beautifully written and carefully researched book on the highly secret world of international co-operation between intelligence services. It also sheds important new light on assassination as a tool of foreign policy.' Richard J. Aldrich, author of GCHQ 'This well-researched insightful book lifts the lid on the contribution of European intelligence agencies to Israel's Operation Wrath of God which was directed towards eliminating Palestinian groups such as Black September, responsible for the killing of athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972. The author has revealed the work of the 'Club de Berne' and its liaison with the Mossad and shone a bright light on those who live in the shadows.' Colin Shindler, author of A History of Modern Israel 'Based on ground-breaking research from a rare archive in Switzerland. Guttmann lifts the lid on Mossad's most secret 'licence to kill' operations in Europe, with the aid of other western intelligence agencies. A gripping and tense narrative.' Helen Fry, author of Spymaster: The Man who saved MI6 'Dr Guttmann has produced a gripping historical account that is both riveting and terrifying in equal measure. It has the fast-paced adventure of a novel. This is more than a history book, and is as relevant today as the period it covers. I cannot recommend it highly enough.' Michael Goodman, author of The Official History of the Joint Intelligence Committee 'a timely and worthy contribution to intelligence history' Roger Boyes, The TimesMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
692 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-009-50307-5 (9781009503075)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Aviva Guttmann
Operation Wrath of God
The Secret History of European Intelligence and Mossad's Assassination Campaign
Book
approx. 10/2026
Cambridge University Press
€23.00
Not yet published
Person
Dr Aviva Guttmann is a lecturer in strategy and intelligence at Aberystwyth University and author of The Origins of International Counterterrorism (2018).
Content
Introduction: intelligence that kills; Part I. Preparing for God's Wrath: 1. Setting the scene; 2. Preparing the kill list; Part II. Europe's Covert War against the Palestinian Armed Struggle: 3. A firing squad in Rome and four black September attacks; 4. A bomb in Paris and two attacks in Bangkok and Rome; 5. Assassinations in Nicosia and Madrid, attacks in Jordan and Sudan; 6. A 'battle of the spooks' in Paris, Beirut, Nicosia, and Rome; 7. A car bomb in Paris, a firing squad in DC, a thwarted attack near Vienna; Part III. Blunder and Cooperate: 8. Lillehammer fiasco: official condemnation, covert approval; Conclusion: a secret security order.