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A black and white photo of artillerymen holding their ears as they launch a barrage at Syrians in 1973.
Artillerymen hold their ears as 155mm guns lay down barrage on Syrian positions during the Yom Kippur War in 1973.

Bettman/Getty Images.

  • Fifty years and one day since the beginning of the 19-day-long Arab-Israeli War of 1973, Israel faces conflict once again. 
  • The war began on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur and on the 10th day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.
  • It was a culmination of three prior conflicts between Israel and Arab countries in 1949, 1956, and 1967. 

The 1973 Arab-Israeli War — also often referred to as the Yom Kippur War, the October War, or the Ramadan War — began as a concerted attack by Egypt and Syria on Israel on October 6, 1973.

The attack was a two-pronged approach by the two Arab nations to take back the lost territories in the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights, both of which had been captured and occupied by Israel six years earlier during the Six-Day War of 1967.

In total, the conflict lasted 19 days before ending due to a UN-backed ceasefire. During the course of those three weeks, Israel suffered thousands of casualties, Syria lost considerable land, Egypt inched closer to peace talks, and the United States and the Soviet Union headed toward potential nuclear conflict. 

On October 6, 1973, Syria and Egypt conducted a coordinated attack on Israel on the holy day of Yom Kippur.
A photo of Tanks rolling over a sandy hill in Sinai.
Tanks roll over the sandy hills of Sinai.

William KAREL/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Six years prior, during the Six-Day War between Israel and a coalition of Arab states, Israel had occupied control of territories, including part of Golan Heights, which had been captured from Syria, and Sinai Peninsula, which was captured from Egypt.

After a series of failed attempts at peace treaties and looking to rectify the losses of the Six-Day War, then-President of Egypt Anwar Sadat and then-President of Syria Hafez al-Assad came together and began planning their attack. 

Egypt attacked from the south, crossing the Suez Canal into Israeli territory.
Egyptian soldiers cross the Suez Canal to bring supplies to allies on the other side of the canal.
Egyptian soldiers cross the Suez Canal to bring supplies to allies on the other side of the canal.

GABRIEL DUVAL/AFP via Getty Images

The Syrians attacked from the north, aiming to retake the Golan Heights region.
Israeli tanks positioned near the Syrian frontline on the Golan Heights
Israeli tanks are positioned near the Syrian frontline on the Golan Heights.

-/AFP via Getty Images

They chose to attack on Yom Kippur as there were no radio or television broadcasts in Israel in observation of the holy day.
A black and white photo of Syrian Soldiers jumping over a wall.
Syrian soldiers assault an Israeli position on Mount Hermon.

-/AFP via Getty Images

The attack also took place on the 10th day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. As Boaz Atzili, a professor at American University, explained, Israeli officials may have also believed an attack from Arab forces during Ramadan to be unlikely.

While the Israeli Defense Force had small reserve armies in this area whose jobs were to hold off initial attacks until the IDF reserve forces were able to reach the front lines, the lack of media coverage and phone communication during Yom Kippur may have made Israeli mobilization slower.

The attack also came as a surprise to the rest of the world. Later, then-President Richard Nixon said, "As recently as the day before, the CIA had reported that war in the Middle East was unlikely."

The US, a staunch supporter of Israel during the conflict, helped Israel regain lost ground via drops of military supplies.
A black and white photo of American Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (Right) standing next to Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir (Left
US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger stands next to Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir.

-/AFP via Getty Images

Operation Nickel Grass was a major airlift of military supplies and equipment to Israel, which played a crucial role in enabling Israel to regain momentum.

 

 

On the other side, the Soviet Union supported Egypt and Syria by providing arms, advisors, and diplomatic support.
Black and white photos of soviet built missles used by Egypt.
Soviet-built Egyptian SAM II anti-aircraft missiles.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

The opposing support of the Soviet Union and the United States pitted the two against each other and put them on the brink of conflict for the first time since Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

Ten days after the war began, the fighting came to a stalemate as Israel penetrated Syrian and Egyptian defenses, turning the tide of the war.
Israeli artillery in the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur War on October 9, 1973.
Israeli artillery in the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur War on October 9, 1973.

Jean-Claude FRANCOLON/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

After three weeks of fighting and severe casualties on both sides, the UN passed a cooperative ceasefire resolution on October 25, 1973.
An photo of abandoned military vehicles.
A Syrian 57mm anti-aircraft gun and ZIL truck are abandoned on the Syrian frontlines.

GABRIEL DUVAL/AFP via Getty Images

In total around 2,500 Israelis were killed during the Yom Kippur war, more than twice the number killed in the Six-Day War.
A black and white photo of Mourners gathering at the graves of Israeli soldiers killed during the Yom Kippur War
Mourners gather at the fresh graves of Israeli soldiers killed during the Yom Kippur War.

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Israel lost an average of 115 lives for each day of fighting. Egypt reportedly lost 7,700, while Syria lost around 3,500 people.

For Israel, after a swift and efficient victory in 1967, the casualties faced during the Yom Kippur conflict pointed to their vulnerabilities.
A black and white photo of a broken down tank on the side of the road on the Golan Heights during the Yom Kippur war.
A broken down tank on the side of the road.

Fred Ihrt/LightRocket via Getty Images

The war was disastrous for Syria, which ended up losing more of the Golan Heights territory to Israel.
A black and white photo of Syrian prisoners at the Israeli/Syrian border in the Golan Heights.
Syrian prisoners at the Israeli/Syrian border in the Golan Heights.

Henri Bureau/Sygma/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images

In turn, Syria was one of the countries that voted Egypt out of the Arab League in 1979.

Although Egypt suffered military defeat, they were able to negotiate a peace agreement and regain portions of the Sinai Peninsula.
Prisoners during the Yom Kippur War around the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights, October 1973.
Prisoners during the Yom Kippur War around the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights.

Harry Dempster/Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Five years after the war, Egypt and Israel signed the Camp David Accords on September 17, 1978.
Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat, US President Jimmy Carter, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin stand for the three countries' national anthems.
Egyptian President Anwar Sadat, US President Jimmy Carter, and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin stand for the three countries' national anthems.

Wally McNamee/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

The accords paved the way for an Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, and in 1982 Israel fulfilled the peace treaty and returned the last segment of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. 

 

 

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50 years on, photos show the 19-day Arab-Israeli War that changed the course of…