Yom Kippur War

The Yom Kippur War was an Arab-Israeli conflict fought between October 6 and October 25, 1973, which resulted in Israeli victory. An Arab Coalition led by Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on territories occupied by Israel in Yom Kippur, the holiest day of Judaism.

In October 1973, Egyptian and Syrian forced invaded the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights, which had been captured by Israel during the Six Day War in 1967. The United States and the Soviet Union supported opposing sides, leading to tense near-confrontation that threatened global stability and potentially risked nuclear war.

Initially, Egyptian forces crossed the Suez Canal and managed to recapture most of the Sinai. After three days, the Israeli forces managed to halt their advance and achieve a stalemate. At the same time, Syria invaded the Golan Heights, but after three days the Israelis had pushed them back to prewar positions. Israel then counterattacked, pushing into Syria and reaching within artillery range of Damascus.

Israel also counterattacked in the Sinai, crossing the Suez Canal into Egypt and pushing towards Cairo. A UN ceasefire on October 22 was quickly broken, and the Israelis encircled the Egyptian army. A second ceasefire on October 25 managed to end the fighting. One result of the war was the willingness of both Israel and Egypt to engage in peace talks, leading to the 1978 Camp David Accords.