A Brief Recount of the Yom-Kippur War Essay - 1311 Words

The October War of 1973 also known as the Yom-Kippur War was one of the wars we often overlook when we dive into the historical events that took place in history. The growing tensions between Israel and Egypt led to the surprise attack by Egypt on Israel. It was particularly interesting due to the fact that both sides claim to have won the War. The Yom-Kippur War received its name based on the fact that it occurred on the holiest day of prayer and fasting in the Jewish holiday 1. The October War of 1973 was a result of the Arabs frustration towards Israel for not relinquishing the territories it had acquired during the Six Day War of 1967. In other words, Israel’s victory in the six-day war resulted in the Arabs retaliation in the†¦show more content†¦This alliance they formed would later help them in gaining back those territories. Egypt started this war under President Anwar Sadat and launched an attack across the Suez Canal on the Israeli’s along with thei r new found ally Syria 6. By attacking on the Israeli’s holiest day, it gave the Arabs the element of surprise as they were able to attack while Israel’s defenses were down. The combined forces of Egypt and Syria proved to be overwhelming as Israel was attacked on two fronts. Israel’s defenses were particularly weak as they only had 150 tanks to combat Syria’s 1400 tanks on the Golan Heights and across the Suez region they had just 500 soldiers to combat Egypt’s 80,000 7. Israel failed miserably in trying to combat the Egyptians on the Suez Canal and the Syrians at the Golan Heights8. Egypt and Syria’s strategy to divide the military power of Israel proved temporarily successful since they were able to force Israel to retreat from the territories that were under occupation. Although the Egyptians were able to force Commander Avraham Adan to fall back, their own military was contained in the east bank of the Suez Canal8. Meanwhile on the other front, the Syrian army was able to reoccupy Qunaytirah, a territory within the Golan Heights, an area that was under Israeli occupation as a result of the Six-Day War 9. The difference in military strength was massive; The men of Jerusalem Brigade, regarded dismissively as