The IDF is on high alert ahead of the one-year anniversary of the assassination of senior Islamic Jihad terrorist Bahaa Abu el-Atta in Operation Black Belt.
MK Naftali Bennett, who was Defense Minister at the time, recalled: "My entry into the post of defense minister began with an explosion. I do not mean an 'explosion' in the sense of a quarrel, but a real explosion - the assassination of a senior Islamic Jihad missile commander in Gaza, Bahaa Abu el-Atta."
"On Monday evening," said Bennett, "ten hours before I took office, I had already arrived at the campus and met with Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi and GSS commanders, who presented me in detail with the planned assassination operation against the terrorist in the coming hours, as well as the purpose of the operation, the risks, the expected response and the developments."
"The operation was successful, and the terrorist was eliminated in the middle of the night. Immediately they started firing missiles at the State of Israel. On Tuesday morning, the prime minister convened a press conference and reported the operation to the public. "Then we went to my side room, the prime minister, the chief of staff and I, and the prime minister handed me a stick - to continue the management of the campaign: 'From here on, it's yours.'
According to Bennett, "I immediately went south to meet Southern Command General Herzi Halevi, the sector commanders, and the heads of the authorities in the Gaza Envelope, to get a snapshot, and plan the continuation of the campaign. Since we had no goal this time to produce a round of fighting against the terrorists in Gaza, we ended the event within a short time with wise and sophisticated action.
This is how my tumultuous term as Israel's 20th Defense Minister began. No overlap, no red carpet ceremony, no receptions and trumpets. Straight to work."
The defense establishment estimates that the terrorist organizations in Gaza have no interest in producing an escalation at this stage and will therefore remain silent, though the possibility of violence cannot be entirely ruled out.