Israel vows ‘appropriate response’ if Iran attacks its territory
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has vowed an "appropriate response" if Iran attacks his country's territory.
In a daring operation, an Israeli trekker, Noam Gil, was rescued by the Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots in Ladakh on Saturday by maneuvering their helicopter against turbulent weather conditions.
A Defence Ministry spokesman said at 10:40 am, the 114 Helicopter Unit received a call for Casevac (Casualty Evacuation) from Nimaling camp near Markha Valley where Noam Gil, an Israeli national was suffering from acute mountain sickness and was having difficulty in breathing in the high altitude area.
He said that Gil’s oxygen level had dropped to 68 percent. In view of the severity of the situation, he had to be rescued from the Valley which is known for its severe turbulent conditions. Led by Wing Commander Ashish Kapoor, Flight Commander 114 Helicopter Unit, with Flight Lieutenant Kushagra Singh and Wing Commander S Badiyaree and Squadron Leader S Nagpal as No. 2, got airborne within 20 minutes for this critical mission.
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Braving strong winds and turbulent conditions, the formation reached the spot in about 45 minutes. After a continuous search of 30 minutes, Gil was spotted at river Gorge at the valley bottom. The valley being very narrow, there was difficulty in manoeuvring the aircraft. The formation leader led in for an approach on an unprepared surface on the valley bottom.
With the assistance of No. 2 holding overhead and proficiency of No. 1, the landing was carried out in one of the most restricted spaces ever landed in this particular valley. The casualty was emplaned at low hover and the formation got airborne immediately. Being on less fuel, the formation routed back via standby route. Braving all the difficulties the formation finally landed at Leh, the spokesman added.
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