A rehearsal for the operation took place on November 5, 1992 in the Negev desert.[5] The operation's execution was just two days away. However, in the rehearsal, Israeli commandos accidentally fired live rounds into a convoy simulating the target, killing five of their fellow Sayeret Matkal commandos and wounding six more.[6] The head of the IDF, Ehud Barak, had been watching the rehearsal at the time.[3]