His time in the IDF being, of course, not why the article is referring to him as a hero. I'm not defending assassinations and kidnappings, I'm pointing out the holier-than-thou attitude in these comments based on what appears to be a quick skim of the article is totally unfounded.
True. Whether or not one might feel that his actions as an IDF commando were heroic, I think we can agree that standing up to terrorists on one's plane is heroic.
Besides, you're playing ignorant. The article paints those two facts as a good thing, considering the narrative.