Yom Kippur War: A History from Beginning to End

The State of Israel was established in 1948, and from the very beginning, it faced war with neighboring Arab nations. Somehow, despite the fact that its newly created army was greatly outnumbered, the War of Independence from 1948 to 1949 saw Israel and its borders secured. However, the peace that followed didn’t last long.

In 1956, Israel was at war again, this time allied with Britain and France during the Suez Crisis, with an invasion that saw parts of the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula occupied by Israeli forces. In 1967, Israel found itself in another conflict, alone and facing a coalition of Arab states that included Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. What became known as the Six-Day War provided Israel with a stunning military victory that saw it occupying most of the Sinai Peninsula and other territories, including the West Bank, the Golan Heights, and the Gaza Strip.

Just six years later, in 1973, Israel would face the greatest challenge to its very existence. Egypt and Syria launched massive simultaneous invasions intended to recapture territory occupied by Israel during the Six-Day War. Israel was taken completely by surprise by this attack, launched on the day of one of the most important Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur. Israeli intelligence, which had proved so effective in previous conflicts, failed to provide any warning, and the armed forces of Israel were completely unprepared to face this onslaught on two fronts. This is the story of the Yom Kippur War.