The Yom Kippur War

On October 6, 1973 Egyptian and Syrian forces united to launch an attack against Israel on Yom Kippur, which is the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. It was a surprise attack and led to heavy casualties. But the reason for the attack varied for each of the two countries and extended from many circumstances that preceded this surprise attack. The consequences for both Israel and Syria of the war were major as well. There were many factors that led up to the Yom Kippur War. The most major event that preceded this initial attack and war was the Six Day War, which occurred in 1967. In the Six Day War, many of the Arab countries banded together to attack Israel. In a historic upset, not only did Israel win the war, they won territory from Egypt, Syria, and Jordan including receiving the Kotel and holy Temple Mount. The famous quote left from that war is “Har Habayit Beyadenu,” “The Temple Mount is in our hands.” That war left the Middle East shaken, angry, and eager to win back the territory they lost. In 1970, Anwar El-Sadat, the president of Egypt, began
They slowly succeeded in pushing back their invaders. The United States sent aid to help Israel in their war effort. They sent over twenty two thousand tons of equipment to Israel in a one month period. This aid could have been the deciding factor in the Yom Kippur War. Without the United States of America’s help, Israel may not have been able to push back the invasion and regain their territory. It is also possible that the Israelis were already succeeding in their war effort before the United States decided to aid them. It could have just been President Richard Nixon’s way of saying that they will help the Israelis to oppose the Soviet Union, who were supporting the Arab nations. Either way, the aid was at least helpful in the final victory of Israel over Syria and