The Yom Kippur War

On the morning of October 6, 1973, a calm settled over Israel. It was Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, a day of fasting, prayer, and introspection. In the synagogues, the streets were empty as families observed the solemn holiday. There was a quiet stillness across the land, but it was a silence that would soon be shattered.

At around 2:00 PM, the unthinkable happened. Without warning, Egypt and Syria launched a coordinated surprise attack on Israel. It was a strike that came from two fronts. The Egyptian army surged across the Suez Canal into the Sinai Peninsula, while Syrian forces stormed the Golan Heights. This was no small skirmish. It was a full-scale war, carefully planned and executed with precision. The Yom Kippur War had begun.

The Egyptian front saw the first wave of action. Egyptian artillery began pounding Israeli positions along the Suez Canal with a ferocity that stunned Israeli troops. They called it “Operation Badr.” For weeks, Egyptian forces had been preparing for this exact moment. Over 200,000 troops, with tanks and heavy artillery, stood ready to make their move. Israel’s Bar-Lev Line, a fortified defensive wall that had been built after the Six-Day War in 1967, was considered nearly impregnable. But the Egyptians had a plan.

Using water cannons, they blasted through the sand embankments of the Bar-Lev Line, creating pathways for their troops to cross the canal. In a matter of hours, Egyptian soldiers flooded into the Sinai. The Israeli soldiers stationed at the Bar-Lev Line were taken by surprise, outnumbered, and overwhelmed. Many were killed or captured. The Egyptians had achieved their initial goal – breaking through Israel’s first line of defense in the Sinai. By the end of the day, they had established several bridgeheads across the Suez Canal, a victory they had been yearning for since 1967.

While this was happening in the south, an equally intense battle was raging in the north. In the Golan Heights, Syrian forces, heavily equipped with Soviet tanks, artillery, and aircraft, launched a massive assault on Israeli positions. Syrian troops were determined to reclaim the Golan, lost in the Six-Day War. The Israeli forces stationed there were outnumbered by ten to one. The Syrians advanced quickly, using their numerical superiority and catching Israel off guard.

The Syrians made significant progress on the first day, pushing Israeli defenses back and capturing key positions, particularly in the southern part of the Golan Heights. The battle was fierce, with Israeli tanks and infantry fighting desperately to hold the line. But the sheer size of the Syrian attack made it nearly impossible for them to maintain their positions.

Israel’s response on this first day was frantic but methodical. The Israeli Air Force scrambled to retaliate, sending fighter jets to the Egyptian and Syrian fronts. However, they faced an unexpected obstacle. Both Egypt and Syria were armed with Soviet-made SAM (surface-to-air missile) systems, which effectively neutralized Israel’s air superiority. Many Israeli planes were shot down, and the pilots who survived returned home with grim reports of their inability to break through the Arab air defenses.

On the ground, Israel’s armored units were hastily mobilized. However, the Israeli army was structured in such a way that a significant portion of its strength relied on reserve forces, many of whom were still observing Yom Kippur with their families. It took time to get the reservists to their units, and time was not on Israel’s side. By the evening of October 6, Israeli leaders realized they were facing a war far more dangerous and complex than they had anticipated.

In the Sinai, Egyptian forces continued their push, meeting less resistance than they had expected. They were emboldened by their early success. In the Golan, the situation was even more dire. Israeli commanders struggled to maintain any semblance of control as Syrian tanks poured into Israeli-held territory.

By the end of the first day, the situation looked bleak for Israel. The surprise had worked. Egypt and Syria had successfully launched a well-coordinated attack, catching Israel at a vulnerable moment. Israeli losses were heavy, particularly in the air. The Egyptian and Syrian forces had made significant gains, and for the first time since the state’s founding, Israel was facing a genuine threat to its survival.

That night, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir and Defense Minister Moshe Dayan met with the military high command. The mood was somber, even fearful. Israel had always prided itself on its ability to defend against multiple adversaries, but this war was different. This time, Israel wasn’t dictating the terms of the fight. Egypt and Syria were in control.

As the sun set on October 6, 1973, Israel’s fate hung in the balance. The war was only just beginning, and the road ahead would be long and bloody. But for the soldiers on the front lines, on the banks of the Suez Canal and the rocky slopes of the Golan Heights, the first day had been a day of shock, loss, and the realization that they were in the fight of their lives.