Operation Dawn (1967)

Operation Dawn, code-name Fajr (الفجر) in Arabic,[1] was a rejected Egyptian military proposal planned by General Abdel Hakim Amer, as tension built between Israel and Egypt ahead of what was to become the Six Day War. It was not approved by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, who was committed to not attacking Israel, unless Israel attacked first. Amer’s proposal was to strike the Israeli Air Force, in the prelude to what would become the Six-Day War. The Egyptian attack plan was to also involve strategic bombing of major ports, the Negev Nuclear Research Center near Dimona, airfields and cities. Arab armies would then attack, effectively cutting Israel in half with an armoured thrust from northern Sinai via the Negev desert.[2]

  1. ^ Shlaim, Avi. "Israel: Poor Little Samsom" in The 1967 Arab-Israeli War: Origins and Consequences, p. 30 (Cambridge University Press, 2012, edited by Shlaim and Louis).
  2. ^ The Six Day War