Yom Kippur War

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Yom Kippur War
Part of the Arab–Israeli conflict and the Cold War
Clockwise from top-left: Israeli tanks crossing the Suez Canal Israeli Nesher variant of the Mirage V fighter jet flying over the Golan Heights Israeli soldier praying in the Sinai Peninsula Israeli troops evacuating wounded personnel Egyptian troops raising the flag of Egypt at a former Israeli position in the Sinai Peninsula Egyptian soldiers with a portrait of Anwar Sadat
Date 6–25 October 1973 (2 weeks and 5 days) Location Golan Heights, Sinai Peninsula, Suez Canal (both banks) and surrounding regions Result See § Aftermath Territorial changes Egyptian forces occupy the eastern bank of the Suez Canal, with the exception of the Israeli crossing point near the Deversoir Air Base[11] Israeli forces occupy 1,600 km2 (620 sq mi) of territory on the southwestern coast of the Suez Canal within 100 km (60 mi) of the Egyptian capital of Cairo, and encircle an Egyptian enclave on its eastern bank[11] Israeli forces occupy 500 km2 (193 sq mi) of the Syrian Bashan region on top of the Golan Heights, bringing them within 32 km (20 mi) of the Syrian capital of Damascus[12]
Belligerents
Israel	Egypt Syria Expeditionary forces  Saudi Arabia[1][page needed]  Algeria[2]  Jordan Iraq  Kuwait[3]  Tunisia[4]  Morocco[5]  Cuba[6]  North Korea[7][8][9][page needed][10][page needed]
Commanders and leaders
Golda Meir Ephraim Katzir Moshe Dayan David Elazar Israel Tal Shmuel Gonen Yitzhak Hofi Binyamin Peled Haim Bar-Lev Albert Mandler † Ariel Sharon	Anwar Sadat Ahmad Ismail Ali Saad El Shazly Hosni Mubarak Abdel Ghani el-Gamasy Hafez al-Assad Mustafa Tlass
Strength
375,000[13]–415,000 troops 1,700 tanks[14] 3,000 armored carriers 945 artillery units[a] 440 combat aircraft	Egypt 650,000[13]–800,000[15] troops (200,000 crossed)[citation needed] 1,700 tanks (1,020 crossed)[16] 2,400 armored carriers 1,120 artillery units[a] 400 combat aircraft 140 helicopters[17] 104 naval vessels 150 surface-to-air missile batteries (62 in the front line)[18] Syria 150,000[13] troops 1,200 tanks 800–900 armored carriers 600 artillery units[a][19] Expeditionary forces 120,000 troops[13] 500–670 tanks[20][21] 700 armored carriers[20] Saudi Arabia 23,000 troops (3,000 crossed)[22][3][23][24] Morocco 5,500 troops[25][26] 30 tanks provided by Syria[25][26] Cuba 500[27]–1,000[28] troops Total 914,000–1,067,500 troops 3,430–3,600 tanks 3,900–4,000 armored carriers 1,720 artillery units 452 combat aircraft 140 helicopters 104 naval vessels 150 surface-to-air missile batteries
Casualties and losses
2,521[29]–2,800[30][31] dead 7,250[32]–8,800[30] wounded 293 captured 400 tanks destroyed, 663 damaged or captured[33] 407 armored vehicles destroyed or captured 102–387 aircraft destroyed[34][35]	Egypt 5,000[30]–15,000[36] dead 8,372 captured[37] Syria 3,000[30]–3,500[36] dead 392 captured[37] Morocco 6 dead[5] 6 captured[37] Iraq 278 dead 898 wounded[38] 13 captured[37] Cuba 180 dead 250 wounded[6] Jordan 23 dead 77 wounded[38] Total 8,000[30]–18,500[36] dead 18,000[30]–35,000[32] wounded 8,783 captured 2,250[39]–2,300[40] tanks destroyed 341[30]–514[41] aircraft destroyed 19 naval vessels sunk[42]

The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War,^[43] the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was fought from 6 to 25 October 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria. Most of the fighting occurred in the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights, territories occupied by Israel in 1967. Some combat also took place in Egypt and northern Israel.^{[44][45][page needed]} Egypt aimed to secure a foothold on the eastern bank of the Suez Canal and use it to negotiate the return of the Sinai Peninsula.^[46]

The war started on 6 October 1973, when the Arab coalition launched a surprise attack on Israel during the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, which coincided with the 10th day of Ramadan.^[47] The United States and Soviet Union engaged in massive resupply efforts for their allies (Israel and the Arab states, respectively),^[48][49][50] which heightened tensions between the two superpowers.^[51]

Egyptian and Syrian forces crossed their respective ceasefire lines with Israel, advancing into the Sinai and Golan Heights. Egyptian forces crossed the Suez Canal in Operation Badr and advanced into the Sinai, while Syrian forces gained territory in the Golan Heights. After three days, Israel halted the Egyptian advance and pushed most of the Syrians back to the Purple line. Israel then launched a counteroffensive into Syria, shelling the outskirts of Damascus.

Egyptian forces attempted to push further into Sinai but were repulsed, and Israeli forces crossed the Suez Canal, advancing toward Ismailia City on 18 October. Israeli forces were then defeated in the Battle of Ismailia and accepted a UN-brokered ceasefire.^[52] On 22 October, the ceasefire broke down. Initially both sides accused each other of violations, however declassified documents revealed the United States had given Israel permission to breach the ceasefire and encircle the Egyptian Third Army and Suez City.^[53] Israeli forces then advanced on Suez City, but were successfully repulsed in the ensuing battle amid stiff Egyptian resistance.^[54] A second ceasefire was imposed on 25 October, officially ending the war.

The Yom Kippur War had significant consequences. The Arab world, humiliated by the 1967 defeat, felt psychologically vindicated by its early and late successes in 1973. Meanwhile, Israel, despite battlefield achievements, recognized that future military dominance was uncertain. These shifts contributed to the Israeli–Palestinian peace process, leading to the 1978 Camp David Accords, when Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt, and the Egypt–Israel peace treaty, the first time an Arab country recognized Israel. Egypt drifted away from the Soviet Union, eventually leaving the Eastern Bloc.

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