The Sea (2017) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Ari realized that operating openly in Ethiopia would attract too much attention from authorities. By leasing a defunct hotel on the Sudanese coast, he could create a legitimate facade that would allow the team to conduct their refugee rescue operations under the guise of running a tourist resort, effectively hiding their true humanitarian mission in plain sight.

• mossad operation
• red sea diving resort
• cover mission
• sudan

When the team arrived in Sudan with brochures marketing the resort, real tourists began arriving, creating an influx of visitors that was never part of the original plan. This turned out to be advantageous because the constant flow of guests provided perfect cover for clandestine refugee evacuations, allowing the team to move people out while appearing to run a normal hotel business.

• tourist cover
• refugee evacuation
• sudan resort
• mossad team

Colonel Abdel Ahmed was a Sudanese military officer who actively hunted down the operation after torturing and killing a group of refugees to extract information. His suspicion and investigation directly threatened the entire rescue mission, as he visited the resort and examined their activities, forcing the team to operate under constant threat of exposure and arrest.

• colonel ahmed
• sudanese army
• refugee torture
• antagonist

During a nighttime evacuation operation, Ari and Sammy were caught and arrested by Sudanese soldiers. They were eventually released from custody, but upon returning to the resort, Ethan Levin informed them that the mission had been compromised and needed to be canceled, putting the entire operation in jeopardy.

• arrest
• sudanese soldiers
• mission compromised
• ari levinson

As Colonel Ahmed intensified his search for hidden refugees, he closed in on the resort operation. Rachel found herself in a desperate situation where she had to kill one of Ahmed's men to protect the refugees who were being hidden from discovery, an action that put the entire mission at even greater risk.

• rachel reiter
• colonel ahmed
• refugee protection
• kill

When the situation became desperate, Ari enlisted help from Walton Bowen, a CIA officer, to coordinate a last-ditch evacuation effort. Together, they arranged for the refugees to be transported via cargo plane to an abandoned British airfield, where the team executed a narrow escape from Colonel Ahmed's pursuing forces.

• cia
• walton bowen
• cargo plane
• evacuation plan

The refugees were transported to an abandoned British airfield in a tense operation. As Colonel Ahmed's forces closed in, the team managed to extract both themselves and the refugees to safety, achieving a narrow but successful escape that completed their mission.

• abandoned airfield
• refugee escape
• final mission
• colonel ahmed

Kebede Bimro, an Ethiopian Jew, teamed up with Ari Levinson as a crucial local partner who understood the region and the refugees' situation. His involvement was essential in helping coordinate the on-ground aspects of the rescue operation and facilitating communication with the Ethiopian Jewish community being rescued.

• kebede bimro
• ethiopian jew
• local partner
• mossad

Although Israeli intelligence officer Ethan Levin was hesitant, he granted approval for Ari's unconventional plan because it offered a practical solution for conducting covert operations in a hostile region. The resort provided a believable cover that could protect the team from suspicion while allowing them to carry out their humanitarian objective.

• israeli intelligence
• ethan levin
• mission approval
• covert operation