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SIX DAY WAR COURSE |
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SIX DAY WAR COURSE |
Eminent American historian Barbara Tuchman opened her essay on Israel’s stunning victory in the Six Day War of June 1967 this way:
After a long period of provocation, hostile actions, and threats from its Arab neighboring countries, Israel was forced to act in self-defense. Faced with few choices, on June 4, 1967 the Cabinet authorized the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence to decide on appropriate steps to defend the State of Israel. On June 5, Israel launched a pre-emptive strike against Egypt and captured the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip. Despite an Israeli appeal to Jordan to stay out of the conflict, Jordan attacked Israel and thereby lost control of the West Bank and the eastern sector of Jerusalem. Israel went on to capture the Golan Heights from Syria by the time the war ended on June 10.
The Six-Day War started with a far-reaching air attack, code named "Moked", to shatter the Arab air forces while their aircraft were still on the ground. A massive, simultaneous attack by Israeli first-line aircraft was launched on the morning of June 5 against all Egyptian air force bases in Sinai and Egypt, the main Arab air force. Approximately 300 Egyptian aircraft, including bombers, combat planes and helicopters, were destroyed in less than 2 hours, eliminating the main air threat against Israel. When it became clear that Jordan had entered the war, the Israel Air Force turned to the Jordanian airfields in Amman and Mafrak and destroyed a large part of the Jordanian Air Force. Later on the same day, the air forces of Syria and Iraq were also eliminated as a threat.
On the ground, Egypt had 7 divisions with a total of about 100,000 soldiers deployed in fortifications in the eastern parts of the Sinai and in the Gaza Strip. In four days of fighting, the IDF pushed through the Egyptians along three main axes to reach the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Suez. By the fourth day of the war, June 8, 1967, the IDF prongs were linked up at their objectives and the Egyptians were defeated. Israel controlled the entire Sinai Peninsula.
On the front with Jordan, news of the campaign in the Sinai was quickly followed by sniping and then heavy Jordanian artillery shelling along the whole length of the cease-fire line with Israel, including Jerusalem. On June 5, 1967, after Jordanian army forces penetrated and took control of Government House, used as the headquarters of the UN observers, the Israelis responsed by recapturing Government House and then conquering a series of neighboring Jordanian postsin eastern Jerusalem. At the same time, IDF armored forces started their advance on Jordanian posts in the north-west of the town and deployments along the Jerusalem-Ramallah highway. A cruel and bloody night battle resulted in IDF capture of additional areas of eastern Jerusalem, pushing the Jordanians further back. Fighting continued for several days within Jerusalem and adjacent areas of the West Bank.
On the third day of the war, June 7, 1967, IDF paratroopers seized control of the Western Wall, the remnant of Soloman's temple. In an emotional moment, General Rabbi Shlomo Goren, the chief chaplain of the IDF blew a long note on the Shofar (rams horn), announcing the release of the Western Wall and the old city of Jerusalem.
Continued fighting in the mountains of Samaria saw Israeli tank units gain ground and capture one population center after another: Bethlehem, the Etzion block, Hebron. The whole of the Hebron mountain area, the Judean hills south of Jerusalem, was in the hands of the IDF by the end of June 7th. Jordanian resistance essentially collapsed after 3 days of war with Israel.
The Syrian front was delayed until IDF forces could be released from Sinai and the Jordanian battles. Syria's army started heavy bombardment of the Hula valley settlements and the Galilee at the outset of the war. The Syrian army sat safely in its strong fortifications on the Golan Heights, with six infantry brigades, five National Guard battalions and about 200 tanks. On the morning of June 9, 1967, after two days of heavy bombardment by the air force. IDF tank units moved on the Syrians. Mine clearing and road building were needed to overcome the Syrian topological advantage. Paratroopers defeated a series of posts overlooking the Hula valley in the southern sector of the Heights and enabled the passage of tanks deep into enemy territory. On the night of June 9-10 an attack was mounted on Jalabina and enemy positions on the region of the border and the Banyas were captured.
After advances all along the line on June 10th, the Syrian deployment collapsed and the Syrian forces were in retreat. On June 12 the cease-fire line was set by UN observers along the line of IDF-held terriorty including the whole of the Golan Heights and along a line passing from Mount Hermon in the south, around Masada, Quneitra and Butmiye junction and extending to the Yarmuk river bed.
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