Operation Dawn (1967)

Operation Dawn was an Egyptian military operation planned to strike the Israeli Air Force, in the prelude to what would become the Six-Day War. The Egyptian attack plan would 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 armored thrust from northern Sinai via the Negev desert.

Nasser had provoked Israel when he closed the Straits of Tiran. He was intent on getting revenge for previous military defeats. The army had been mobilized in the Sinai, and was poised to launch what he called "the operation that will surprise the world". The operation was set to take place on May 27, 1967. Abdel Hakim Amer, an Egyptian general, planned the operation.

Operation Dawn was called off after Nasser was informed by Russia that the US was aware of the plan.

Israel was then able to give the first strike. This is detailed in the article about the Six-Day War.

References

• http://www.sixdaywar.org/printfriendly.asp?ID=26 Six Day War site information on early stages of the war - Operation Dawn
• Oren, Michael B. Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East, New York, Random House Ballantyne, 2002