Putting the phrase "the best defense is a good offense" to work, Israel responded to the buildup of forces by Egypt, Syria, and Jordan with preemptive, surprise bombing attacks against the Egyptian Air Force on June 5, 1967. The rapid assumption of air superiority allowed Israel's land forces wide freedom of movement, and within six days Israel

On the night of June 5, 1968, Robert Kennedy was shot. The assassin, arrested at the scene, was Sirhan Sirhan, a Palestinian who chose the date because it was the anniversary of the Six-Day War, when Israel militarily dominated the Arab states around it. Kennedy, who had been running for president, died of his wounds 26 hours later.