Israeli Defense Minister Naftali Bennett has announced for the first time that Israel is responsible for the attack on Damascus that killed, Muadh, the son of a senior Islamic Jihad official Akram al-Ajouri four months ago.
Bennett's statement came in the context of his election campaign in an attempt to present himself as a game-changer in the army's and government's policies towards the Palestinians.
The operation was conducted on Nov. 12 in retaliation against Islamic Jihad launching a missile against Ashdod during an elections meeting for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – the latter had to stop his speech and flee the hall in a humiliating manner.
The failed assassination attempt occurred on the night that Israel assassinated senior Islamic Jihad militant Baha Abu al-Atta in the Gaza Strip. Until now, Israel has not accepted responsibility for the attack in Damascus, although it has been attributed to it by foreign media outlets.
Bennett said during a TV interview that "upon taking office, we eliminated Baha (Abu Al-Atta) and indeed attacked Damascus. Until today, when they were shooting from Gaza, we responded in Gaza… but haven’t eliminated terrorists in Damascus."
Claiming responsibility for the operation came as a shock, especially that Bennett wasn’t a defense minister back then.
