Surprise Attack on Yom Kippur

On October 6, 1973, Israel was attacked on its holiest day while much of the

country was at a standstill. The war began on Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of

Atonement. Egypt and Syria launched a coordinated surprise assault. It became known

as the Yom Kippur War. At 2 p.m., Egyptian forces crossed the Suez

Canal. They overwhelmed Israel’s defenses along the Bar-Lev Line.

At the same time, Syrian troops advanced into the Golan Heights. Israel’s intelligence had failed to predict

the attack. Its army was understaffed. Reserve units were slow to mobilize. In the first days,

Israeli forces suffered heavy losses. Arab armies regained territory lost in 1967.