Barak and Netanyahu in the Golan
Barak and Netanyahu in the GolanIsrael news photo: Flash 90

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak toured the Golan Heights and discussed the situation in Syria in order to give Hamas a false sense of safety. This move may have lulled Ahmed Jaabari into lowering his guard enough to enable an IAF strike on his car. In any case, the ability to hit Jaabari is an intelligence coup.

Minister Benny Begin also took part in the deception of Hamas. He went on the radio in the morning to say that the current round of escalation had ended.

Politicians from the center and right were quick to applaud the IDF for killing Hamas's Ahmed Jaabari and launching a wider scale military operation against Hamas targets.

Minister of Water and Infrastructure, Uzi Landau (Yisrael Beytenu), said: "I congratulate the IDF for a successful operation. Let's hope that this is a harbinger of a basic change in policy: no more reactions, but a systematic campaign against all those who stand behind the terror."

MK Moshe Matalon (Yisrael Beytenu) said: Jaabari was one of the people who postponed the Shalit deal several times and was the person directly responsible for strengthening of terror and the murder of innocent civilians – and it is good that he paid with his life."

"Any one who lends his hand to terror must know that his day will come," he said.

MK Uri Ariel said: "Let the IDF win. The assassination must not be the end of the matter. The state of Israel must continue and strike the terror organizations in Gaza with an iron fist. The state of Israel must continue until the fall of the reign of terror that does not allow hundreds of thousands of civilians to live their lives calmly."

MK Alex Miller (Yisrael Beytenu) said: "Jaabari's assassination is the proper response to all those who are interested in damaging the security of the state of Israel."

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz (Likud) called to "smash the head of the snake and kill Hama's leadership." 

Kadima head MK Shaul Mofaz said that his party has suspended its election campaign against Netanyahu because of the need for unity at this time. He also said that he believes the operation would last at least several days.