Time Period: 06 October - 26 October 1973 |
Brief History: The Yom Kippur War, also known as the 1973
Arab-Israeli War was between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led
by Egypt and Syria. The war began with a surprise joint attack on the Jewish
holiday of Yom Kippur by Egypt and Syria.
The Egyptians and Syrians advanced during the first 24-48 hours, producing near catastrophic conditions for Israel, especially on the Golan. After, momentum began to swing very slowly in Israel's favor. By the second week of the war, the Syrians had been pushed entirely out of the Golan Heights. In the Sinai to the south, the Israelis struck at the "seam" between two invading Egyptian armies, crossed the Suez Canal, and cut off the Egyptian Third Army. In response, the United Nations issued a cease-fire that saved the Egyptian Third Army. The war had far-reaching implications for many nations. The Arab World felt psychologically vindicated by its string of victories early in the conflict, despite the endstate. This paved the way for the Camp David Accords and led to normalized relations between Egypt and Israel‚ the first time any Arab country had recognized the Israeli state. Egypt, which had already been drifting away from the Soviet Union, then left the Soviet sphere of influence entirely. During this time the U.S.S. Little Rock was the Sixth Fleet Flagship in the Mediterranean. |
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