After graduating from high school in 1967 , Netanyahu returned to Israel to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces . He trained as a combat soldier and served for five years in an elite special forces unit of the IDF , Sayeret Matkal . He took part in numerous cross-border assault raids during the 1967 – 70 War of Attrition , rising to become a team-leader in the unit . He was wounded in combat on multiple occasions . He was involved in many other missions , including Operation Inferno ( 1968 ) , and the rescue of the hijacked Sabena Flight 571 in May 1972 in which he was shot in the shoulder
Sabena Flight 571
Sabena Flight 571
Benjamin Netanyahu