Israelis Mark Six Day War Anniversary

Israelis marked the 48th anniversary of the outbreak of the Six Day War on Friday, with historians poring over a fresh batch of recently de-classified intelligence reports from the days leading up to the conflict. The papers reveal many interesting and previously unknown historical facts, such as a general fear among Israeli leaders that Egypt would bomb the nuclear reactor at Dimona, causing an enormous and perhaps fatal ecological catastrophe. The fears were based on reports by the air force that Egyptian planes had already managed to infiltrate Israeli air space and perform reconnaissance missions on four occasions, a fact which was kept secret from the public to avoid panic. There was however plenty of apprehension among Israel’s political leadership, leading to an almost paralyzing fear of taking any action, forcing military leaders to practically beg for authorization to launch the pre-emptive strikes which history records were so successful in leading the Jewish State to win the war, possibly saving Israel from extinction in the process.