Earlier this year, I was able to visit the graveyard of the Beersheba - Hatzerim Air Force Base. It was actually just during the preparation for that trip when I found out that IAF did operate the Noratlas.

There are still two airframes in Beersheba:








As per Wikipedia the only reason why they operated this type of aircraft was that the French government would only allow them to purchase 12 Dassault Ouragans if they purchased three Noratlases as well.

It also reports that that the IAF used their Noratlases for maritime reconnaissance at the outset of the Six-Day War, and one of these supposedly identified the USS Liberty prior to the strafing of the ship.

I became curious about these two stories and wondered if anybody here on a.net could confirm or even give additional information. Any feedback would be highly appreciated