answersLogoWhite

0

Answer 1

The war of 6 to 26 October 1973 between Israel and Egypt, Syria and Iraq which began with a surprise attack on Israel on Yom Kippur.

It was a combined Egyptian-Syrian attack on Israel to retake the land taken in 1967 war. It is also known as the October War and Ramadan War.

While the war started with initial gains on both the Egyptian and Syrian fronts, Israel reversed both of these gains before an armistice was signed. The end result of the war showed that the Arabs could not destroy Israel or recover the territory lost in the Six Day War by military force. This led to Egyptian President Anwar Sadat making peace with Israel in order to recover the Sinai Peninsula.

Answer 2: Pro-Egyptian Perspective

In order to answer such a question you need to consider the objectives of the Egyptians and Syrians. A war is won if the objectives of the country are fulfilled. The Egyptians KNEW their air force was inferior to that of the Israelis, since the Israelis had top American technology, as opposed to the Egyptians, whom the soviets didn't want to give high tech war material too.

Therefore, they knew that they would not be able to liberate the entire Sinai desert, rather, they could only hope to win a limited victory that would restore control of the canal to Egypt, and then force Israel to the negotiating table, where they would be able to negotiate the return of the Sinai in return for peace (something Israel refused to do prior to the war). The objective was NOT to destroy Israel.

Now, before i continue, let me make it clear that if given the opportunity, Israel will take more land, as they demonstrated in 1967, as well as during the 1973 war (on the Syrian front). The Crossing was a complete success, as the Israelis had confidence in their Bar lev line, and didn't see the need for more than 500 soldiers to guard the Israeli positions. they boasted that for Egypt to cross, they would need combined American and soviet help, and even with this help, casualties would be massive. The reality: Egyptians crossed the canal in record time with no help and suffering only 120 casualties.

They secured a foothold on the opposite bank, and then halted, with the Israeli air force unable to effectively react due to the Egyptian SAM shield. Then "the turning point" occurred. Israelis slipped through the gap between the two Egyptian armies, and swung down to cut off the Egyptian third army. To completely cut off the army, they had to capture the town of Suez, which they COMPLETELY failed to do, due to the effectiveness of the RPG- wielding civilians of Suez. The Israelis withdrew, with the 3rd army still not completely cut off. I will not lie, the third army was in a tough spot. the Israelis demanded for the Egyptians to withdraw back to the pre-war borders. Sadat (president of Egypt) refused. If you think about it logically, the ISRAELIS were screwed.

Don't forget, Israel was unable to gain air superiority even after destroying much of Egypt's anti air defense, and so could not help Sharon's division stuck inside Egypt. Egypt still had the entire second army, as well as massive reserves within Egypt that could be called up. If Israel could not take over Suez, a small town, how could they take on the rest of the country? Sadat only agreed to a ceasefire because he wanted to save the 100,000 soldiers of the third army, not because he thought he was screwed. Point is, if they destroyed the 3rd army, Egypt would destroy them, and when comparing populations of the respective countries (67 million at the time for Egypt, with only 4 million for israel), we all know israel would not be able to sustain such massive losses.

What did they do? They withdrew back across the canal, with Egypt retaining control of the land they won. Perhaps if the Israelis had captured Suez, the outcome would have been different, but they could not. If they could have indeed destroyed the 3rd army without sustaining any losses, there's no WAY they would agree to Egypt retaining that land. Now, with respect to the Syrian front, yes, they could not hold their gains, as the Israelis focused their efforts on the Golan heights, being of more strategic importance than the Sinai (Tel Aviv could be shelled from the Golan).

Not only that, they seized 18 more Syrian villages (as i said, if they can they will take more land). The Syrians blame this loss on the Egyptians, saying that Egypt did not stick to the agreement and advance across the Sinai, something that was never agreed upon. Anyways, point is, Egypt achieved their objectives, achieved a spectacular military victory in the Crossing as well as defending their earned positions, and over the course of 8 years, the Sinai was returned to them.

User Avatar

Wiki User

12y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

Is Egypt going to go into the war between Israel and Gaza?

There is currently no war in progress involving Israel and the inhabitants of Gaza.


Where was the war of october?

The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War, or October War was fought between Israel and Egypt.


Who won the war between Egypt and Israel?

There have been several, but Israel has been victorious in all of them. There is some question in Egypt as to whether Egypt or Israel won the War in 1973, but considering that the ceasefire was signed while Israeli soldiers were advancing, it would seem to be an Israeli victory. The debate on the Arab-Israeli War of 1973 is discussed more fully at the Related Question below: Who won the war between Egypt and Israel in 1973?


Who started the 4 major wars since 1948 between the Arabs and Israel?

The Arabs declared war against Israel in 1948 when Israel declared Independence Israel declared war against Egypt in 1956 after being cut off from the Suez Canal. Israel declared war against Egypt in 1967 when the Straits of Tiran were blockaded. Jordan and Syria declared war against Israel in retaliation for the attack on Egypt. Egypt and Syria declared war on Israel in 1973 as a surprise attack.


Describe the agreement between Israel and Egypt after the Yom Kippur war?

In 1979 Israel agreed to return the Occupied Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in return for peace and recognition from Egypt.


Who win the war in 1971 war?

I believe it was the 6 day war between Israel and Egypt.


What is a summary of the Arab-Israeli Conflict?

Arab-Israel conflict has seen many wars between two. It started with 1948 war which ended with creation of a Jewish state. Subsequently Egypt and Israel had a conflict in 1956 due to Suez Canal nationalization and subsequent blockade for Israel by Egypt. In 1967 a full scale war broke out between Israel and Arab countries like Egypt, Syria, Jordan and Iraq. In 1969 Egypt started War of Attrition which ended in 1970 and in 1973 Yom Kippur war was fought between Egypt and Israel. Since then minor skirmishes have continued to take place between two sides.


What is the name of war between Egypt and israel in 1967?

The Six Day War. The war also included Jordan and Syria.


What did Israel take from Egypt during the 1973 war what is it?

Israel did not take anything away from Egypt in the Arab-Israeli War of 1973. In the Arab-Israeli War of 1967, Israel took the Sinai Peninsula from Egypt.


How did the 1973 war with egypt and israel start?

Egypt and Syria launched a surprise invasion of Israel.


Who won the 6 day war of Egypt Israel?

The Six-Day War was fought between Israel and the coalition of Arab forces led by Egypt (the erstwhile United Arab Republic), Syria, and Jordan (with some support from Iraq and Lebanon), and was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967. The Yom Kippur War was fought between Israel and the neighboring Arab countries of Egypt and Syria, and was fought between October 6 and 25, 1973. Iraq and Jordan both supported Syrian troops to some extent, although there was little direct conflict with Israeli forces. Real or tacit support came from countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, and Cuba.


Was the war between Israel and Egypt an attack war?

This question is unanswerable since the term "attack war" makes no sense (in war one side always attacks the other side) and Israel and Egypt have gone to war five distinct times, so it is unclear which war this is referring to.