Six-Day War (1967) - Third Arab–Israeli War DOCUMENTARY

Summary

This video script recounts the Six-Day War of 1967, detailing the military strategies and outcomes that led to Israel's swift victory over the Arab coalition. It highlights key events, such as Operation Focus, which ensured Israeli air dominance, and the ground battles across Sinai, Jerusalem, and Golan Heights. The script also touches on the aftermath, with Israel gaining control over significant territories and the implications for the region. Sponsored by Skillshare, the video concludes with an offer for viewers to access online learning resources for personal and professional development.

Takeaways

• 🌐 The video is sponsored by Skillshare, offering an exclusive deal for viewers interested in online learning opportunities.
• 🏹 The Arab coalition, led by Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, sought to change the regional situation after Israel's victories in 1948 and 1956 by defeating Israel, leading to the inevitable Six-Day War.
• 🗓️ The Six-Day War was triggered by a series of events starting with the Soviet Union's false information to Egypt about Israeli military movements, followed by Egypt's mobilization and the UN peacekeeping forces' withdrawal.
• ✈️ Israel's Operation Focus on June 5, 1967, aimed to destroy the Egyptian air force and was executed with a surprise attack, resulting in the destruction of 338 Egyptian aircrafts.
• 🚀 Israel gained air dominance early in the war, which was crucial for its success, losing only 19 planes compared to the hundreds destroyed in the enemy forces.
• 🛡️ The ground war unfolded on three fronts: Sinai, Jordan, and Syria, with Israel employing strategic maneuvers and air support to overcome larger敌 forces.
• 📉 Egypt's hasty retreat from Sinai, ordered by Field Marshal Abdel Hakim Amer, led to disorganized defense and heavy losses.
• 🏰 Israel's capture of the Old City of Jerusalem and other key territories from Jordan marked a significant victory on the Jordanian front.
• 🔍 Syrian attempts to attack Israel were thwarted by Israeli air superiority, and a ground offensive by Israel in the Golan Heights led to significant territorial gains.
• 🏁 The war ended with a ceasefire and armistice, with Israel gaining control over the Gaza Strip, Sinai Peninsula, West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Golan Heights.
• 📈 The Six-Day War demonstrated the importance of efficient military leadership, preparation, and intelligence in achieving Israel's decisive victory.

Q & A

What was the primary goal of Operation Focus during the Six-Day War?

The primary goal of Operation Focus was to destroy the Egyptian air force, which was achieved through a surprise attack that resulted in the destruction of 338 Egyptian aircrafts within 3 hours.

How did the Arab coalition's initial advantage in troop numbers and military equipment affect the outcome of the Six-Day War?

Despite the Arab coalition's numerical advantage in troops, tanks, and aircrafts, the Israeli military's superior strategy, intelligence, and execution of Operation Focus led to a decisive victory for Israel.

What was the significance of the Straits of Tiran blockade by Egypt in escalating the conflict into the Six-Day War?

The blockade of the Straits of Tiran by Egypt was a turning point that made full-scale confrontation inevitable, as it was seen as a direct challenge to Israeli sovereignty and an act of war.

What role did the Soviet Union play in the events leading up to the Six-Day War?

The Soviet Union falsely informed Egypt about a concentration of Israeli Defense Forces near Syria, which led Egypt to mobilize forces along the Sinai border and eventually demand the withdrawal of UN peacekeeping forces.

How did Israel manage to achieve air dominance so quickly during the Six-Day War?

Israel achieved air dominance through a combination of surprise, deception, and effective intelligence. They published false reports to lull the enemy into a false sense of security while conducting realistic training sorties and disabling a tracking antenna to prevent detection.

What was the outcome of the ground war on the Sinai front for Israel?

Israel was successful in the Sinai front, capturing key positions and ultimately the entire Sinai Peninsula. The Egyptian forces were largely defeated and forced to retreat, with Israel inflicting heavy losses.

What was the situation on the Jordanian front during the Six-Day War, and how did it conclude?

On the Jordanian front, Israel faced opposition from Jordan and Iraq. Despite initial resistance, Israel managed to capture East Jerusalem and other territories, pushing the remnants of the Jordanian army back into Jordan.

What challenges did the Israeli forces face during the offensive on the Golan Heights?

The Israeli forces faced challenges such as unfavorable terrain, heavy Syrian resistance, and the need to breach fortified enemy positions. Despite these challenges, they were able to capture key strongholds and ultimately the plateau.

What was the impact of the Six-Day War on the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East?

The Six-Day War significantly altered the geopolitical landscape of the Middle East. Israel gained control over the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights, placing about one million Arabs under its direct control.

How did the Six-Day War set the stage for future conflicts in the region?

The Six-Day War did not resolve the underlying issues between Israel and its Arab neighbors. Instead, it intensified the conflict, leading to further confrontations, such as the Yom Kippur War, just six years later.

What is Skillshare, and how is it relevant to the video's content?

Skillshare is an online learning community offering various classes, including videography and productivity. It is relevant to the video as it is the sponsor of the video, providing an exclusive offer for viewers.

Outlines

00:00

🌍 Prelude to the Six-Day War

This paragraph sets the stage for the Six-Day War, detailing the tense atmosphere following Israel's victories in 1948 and 1956. The Arab coalition, led by Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, sought to alter the regional balance of power. The Soviet Union's misinformation about Israeli troop movements led to a rapid escalation, with Egypt mobilizing forces and demanding the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers. Israel also refused UN peacekeeping on its side. The Arab coalition's numerical advantage in troops, tanks, and aircraft is highlighted, as is Israel's strategic Operation Focus, which aimed to neutralize the Egyptian air force through surprise attacks. The paragraph concludes with the successful execution of Operation Focus, resulting in Israel gaining air dominance and setting the stage for the ground war.

05:05

🏰 Ground Offensives and the Sinai Front

The second paragraph delves into the ground operations during the Six-Day War, focusing on the Sinai front. It describes the initial Egyptian underestimation of the Israeli offensive, the swift Israeli advance to key locations like Khan Yunis and Arish, and the fierce battles that ensued. The narrative follows the Israeli forces' split into two groups, one advancing towards the Suez Canal and the other capturing strategic points in the south. The paragraph also covers the confrontation between Israeli and Egyptian forces led by Major-Generals Sharon and Nagib, respectively, and the successful Israeli tactics that led to the capture of Um Katef. The Egyptian retreat, ordered by Field Marshal Abdel Hakim Amer, is highlighted as a turning point, leading to heavy losses for Egypt and the eventual Israeli capture of the Sinai Peninsula.

10:11

🛡️ Confrontation with Jordan and Syria

This paragraph discusses the conflict's expansion to the Jordanian and Syrian fronts. It recounts Israel's efforts to avoid conflict with Jordan and the eventual outbreak of fighting after Jordanian and Iraqi forces began shelling West Jerusalem. The paragraph details the Israeli response, Operation Focus, which secured air dominance and led to the capture of East Jerusalem and other territories. On the Syrian front, the narrative describes the interception of Syrian air attacks and the Israeli counteroffensive in the Golan Heights. The Israeli leadership's decision to launch an offensive without formal authorization and the subsequent capture of key Syrian positions are also covered, culminating in the ceasefire and the significant territorial gains made by Israel.

15:13

🎓 Skillshare Sponsorship and Future Content

The final paragraph shifts focus from the historical account to the video's sponsorship by Skillshare, an online learning platform offering a wide range of classes. The paragraph promotes Skillshare's benefits for those looking to learn new skills or enhance their existing ones, particularly for aspiring YouTubers. A special offer for the first 300 subscribers is highlighted, providing two months of Skillshare for free. The paragraph concludes with an invitation to subscribe to the Kings and Generals channel for more content on modern warfare and a note of thanks to Patreon supporters and YouTube sponsors who enable the creation of such videos.

Keywords

💡Skillshare

Skillshare is an online learning community offering a wide range of classes across various disciplines. In the context of the video, it is the sponsor providing an exclusive offer for viewers, highlighting the platform's relevance for those seeking to learn new skills or enhance their existing ones, such as videography and photography.

💡Six-Day War

The Six-Day War refers to the brief but intense conflict in 1967 between Israel and the Arab coalition of Egypt, Jordan, and Syria. It is a central theme of the video, illustrating a pivotal moment in Middle Eastern history where Israel achieved a swift and decisive victory, altering the regional balance of power.

💡Operation Focus

Operation Focus was a military operation conducted by Israel during the Six-Day War, aimed at destroying the Egyptian air force. The operation was a key element in Israel's strategy, securing air dominance which was crucial for the success of their ground operations and overall victory in the war.

💡Straits of Tiran

The Straits of Tiran is a waterway that connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. In the video, Egypt's decision to block Israeli ships from entering the Straits was a turning point leading to the full-scale confrontation of the Six-Day War, as it represented a direct challenge to Israel's freedom of navigation.

💡National Unity Government

The term 'National Unity Government' in the script refers to the Israeli government formed on June 1, 1967, which decided to go to war. This government was significant as it represented a unified Israeli political front in the face of the impending conflict.

💡UNEF

The UNEF, or United Nations Emergency Force, was a peacekeeping force in the Sinai Peninsula. In the script, Egypt demanded the withdrawal of UNEF, which was refused by both Egypt and Israel, escalating tensions and contributing to the outbreak of the Six-Day War.

💡Gaza Strip

The Gaza Strip is a coastal territory bordering Israel and Egypt. The script mentions it as one of the territories that Israel seized during the Six-Day War, which has had lasting implications for the geopolitical landscape of the region.

💡Golan Heights

The Golan Heights is a strategic plateau bordering Israel and Syria. The video describes how Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria during the Six-Day War, citing it as a result of Israel's military operations and a significant territorial gain.

💡Jordanian front

The Jordanian front refers to the military operations and battles that took place between Israel and Jordan during the Six-Day War. The script details the conflict on this front, including the capture of East Jerusalem and the surrounding areas by Israeli forces.

💡Sinai Peninsula

The Sinai Peninsula is the region at the center of the conflict between Israel and Egypt during the Six-Day War. The script describes the Egyptian and Israeli troop deployments and the battles that led to Israel's control over the peninsula.

💡Armistice

An armistice is an agreement to stop fighting, typically a temporary cessation of hostilities. In the video, the UN Security Council's achievement of an armistice between Israel and the Arab coalition on June 9 marked the end of active military operations in the Six-Day War.

Highlights

Sponsorship of the video by Skillshare and an exclusive offer for viewers.

The Arab coalition's eagerness to change the situation in the region post-1948 and 1956 wars.

The inevitability of the Six-Day War due to international interference and lack of settlement.

Soviet Union's misinformation leading to Egypt's military concentration in Sinai.

UN peacekeeping forces' withdrawal from the Sinai Peninsula.

Israel's refusal of UNEF deployment and subsequent mobilization of forces.

Egypt's decision to block Israeli ships from the Straits of Tiran as a turning point.

Israel's National Unity Government and decision to go to war.

The Arab Coalition's numerical advantage over Israel in troops, tanks, and aircrafts.

Operation Focus: Israel's plan to destroy the Egyptian air force.

Israeli media's false reports and training sorties mimicking the actual operation.

The surprise attack on Egyptian airfields and the destruction of their air force.

Israel's air dominance and the ground war on three fronts.

The Sinai front strategy and the Egyptian forces' disposition.

Israel's successful advance and capture of key positions in Sinai.

The retreat of Egyptian forces from Sinai and the heavy losses inflicted by IDF.

The armistice achieved by the UN Security Council between the warring sides.

Israel's confrontation with Jordan and the capture of East Jerusalem.

Syria's failed attempts to attack Israel and the subsequent Israeli counteroffensive.

Israel's victory in the Six-Day War and the capture of significant territories.

The aftermath of the war with one million Arabs under Israel's control.

Skillshare's role as the premier online learning community offering various classes.

Skillshare's offer of a two-month free premium membership for the first 300 sign-ups.

Transcripts

This video is sponsored by Skillshare.

Learn more about Skillshare and the exclusive offer they have for our viewers at the end

of the video.

Ever since Israeli victory during the wars of 1948 and 1956, the Arab coalition led by

Egypt, Syria and Jordan was eager to change the situation in the region by defeating Israel.

Both sides understood that the conflict was far from over and were preparing for the next

stage of confrontation.

International interference and inability of the sides to find a settlement made one of

the most iconic conflicts of the modern era – the Six-day War inevitable.

On May 13, 1967 the Soviet Union falsely informed Egypt about concentration of 11-13 brigades

of the Israeli Defence Forces with an intent to strike Syria.

In response Egypt started concentrating forces along the border with Israel in Sinai and

on May 16 demanded the UN peacekeeping forces to leave the peninsula.

At the same time, Israel refused the request of the UN on deployment of the UNEF on their

side of the border either.

In the next few days Egypt, Israel, Jordan and Sudan started mobilization of their forces,

Iraq sent expeditionary forces to Jordan, Saudi Arabia expressed its willingness to

participate in military actions.

But the turning point, which made the full scale confrontation inevitable was the decision

of Egypt to block Israeli ships from entering the Straits of Tiran on May 22-23.

On June 1 Israel established a National Unity Government, which on June 4 decided to go

to war.

The Arab Coalition of Egypt, Jordan and Syria had an advantage over Israel in deployed troops

with 240 thousand against 100 thousand, in tanks with 2504 against 800 and in aircrafts

with 957 against 300.

Israel planned to strike on June 5 with the Operation Focus, which aimed to destroy Egyptian

air force.

The Israeli media published false reports claiming Israeli soldiers are on vacation,

while their pilots were carrying out training sorties as usual and their intelligence helped

make these trainings as realistic as possible and damaged the tracking antenna of the US

Embassy to prevent the Americans finding out about the operation before the strike took

place.

The Israeli pilots were informed about the start of the operation only 5 hours in advance.

At the same time Egyptian air defence system was effectively off on June 5.

Nearly 200 Israeli aircrafts attacked 14 Egyptian airfields and caught them absolutely off guard.

338 Egyptian aircrafts were destroyed, 100 pilots were killed within 3 hours.

Jordanian and Syrian Airforce attacked Israel in retaliation at 11 am June 5.

The response of Israeli airforce was attack on their airfields which led to destruction

of all 28 Jordanian, 53 Syrian and 10 Iraqi planes.

The Operation Focus was a decisive success: Israel lost only 19 planes in this Operation

and guaranteed its total air dominance for the rest of the war.

The ground war was taking place at three fronts: the Sinai front, the Jordanian front, the

Syrian front.

At the Sinai front the Egyptian forces consisted of seven divisions: four armoured, two infantry,

and one mechanized infantry.

Egypt had 100,000 troops and 900–950 tanks in the Sinai, so Israel concentrated three

divisions consisting of six armoured, one infantry, one mechanized infantry and three

paratrooper brigades for a total of 70,000 men and 700 tanks along this front.

Israel’s plan was to catch Egyptians off guard by attacking simultaneously with air

strikes, and attacking through the Northern and Central routes in the Sinai Peninsula

instead of the Central and Southern Routes used during the Sinai War.

On 5 June, at 7:50 a.m., the northernmost Israeli division, consisting of three brigades

and commanded by Major General Israel Tal started its advance towards Arish through

Gaza with an aim to encircle Khan Yunis, while the paratroopers were ordered to take Rafah.

Initially, Egyptians offered little resistance, since their intelligence concluded that, this

was a diversion rather than a main attack.

However, soon resistance against the 60th armoured brigade ramped up.

This did not stop the Israeli forces from reaching Khan Yunis Railway junction in 4

hours.

Afterwards IDF advanced on Sheikh Zuweid and defeated fierce Egyptian resistance thanks

to air domination.

The road on Arish was open and by 8 am of 6 July elements of the 79th Armored Battalion

and the 7th brigade entered the suspiciously quiet city.

Suddenly the Egyptians started firing from the balconies, windows and there was a heavy

battle going on for control in the city and the IDF was only able to take full control

of the city after reinforcements were sent.

The northernmost division then split into two parts.

One of them continued the advance on the Suez channel, while the second group turned south

and captured Bir Lahfan and Jabal Libni.

Further south on 6 June, the 14 thousand men 150 tank strong Israeli 38th Armored Division

under Major-General Ariel Sharon was confronted by the Egyptian 2nd Infantry Division under

Major-General Sa'adi Nagib, consisting of 16,000 troops and 90 tanks.

Israel successfully advanced towards Abu Ageila.

The paratroopers landed behind Egyptian positions and sew enough confusion to weaken the artillery

of the Egyptian defense, which opened the way of the IDF to capture Um Katef.

It was followed by fierce close tank battle, which ended in an Israeli victory with 40

Egyptian and 19 Israeli tanks destroyed.

The Egyptian forces in Sinai were still largely intact, but their Field Marshal Abdel Hakim

Amer panicked and ordered retreat of all units from Sinai after hearing about the fall of

Abu-Ageila.

This order did not elaborate on the sequence and manner of the retreat, which only decreased

the defensive capabilities of the Egyptian troops.

During the following days the IDF continued its advance westward and inflicted heavy losses

on the Egyptians.

Despite episodic heavy resistance by the Egyptians as in Bin Gafgafa, the napalm bombing by the

Israeli aviation and uncontrolled retreat weakened the morale of the Egyptian troops.

Instead of catching retreating Egyptians, the IDF decided to capture 3 passes from Sinai

to the Egyptian mainland and face the Egyptian troops there.

Although IDF was not able to stop all Egyptian troops from crossing, these passes became

a killing ground for the Egyptian troops with 10000 being killed in one day alone.

The capture of Sinai was completed by the fall of Sharm El-Sheikh on June 7 and Ras

Sudar on June 8.

On June 9 UN Security council achieved armistice between sides.

Israel wanted to avoid confrontation with Jordan and Syria before defeating Egypt, but

the offers of neutrality to Jordan were rejected, as the Egyptian president Nasser persuaded

King Hussain of Jordan that, Egypt had an advantage against Israel.

On the morning of 5 June both sides started the fire, but Israel attempted a last grasp

attempt to avoid confrontation with Jordan by passing its message of request of peace

through the UN representative Bull.

King Hussain countered that it was too late and the Jordanian aviation was already on

the way.

Jordanian and Iraqi aviation started shelling Israeli controlled West Jerusalem, which caused

16, military and 20 civilian casualties, with 900 buildings damaged.

Israel responded with its own air attack within the Operation Focus, which damaged military

aviation infrastructure of Jordan and secured the Israeli air dominance.

East Jerusalem was controlled by Jordan at the time and the Jordanian army took position

in the UN residency – the Government House to fire on the Israeli sector.

The Jerusalem Brigade's Reserve Battalion 161 of Israel took the Government house despite

heavy losses and forced Jordanians to retreat to Bethlehem.

Later on that day Israel encircled Eastern Jerusalem with the Jerusalem Brigade from

the south, and the mechanized Harel Brigade and 55th Paratroopers Brigade from the north.

Fierce battle happened for the Ammunition Hill.

Jordanian resistance was so strong that, the IDF lost all but two of their attacking officers

and achieved the goal only after 4 hours.

55th Paratroopers Brigade afterwards drove eastwards linked up with Mount Scopus defeated

the other Jordanian positions around the American Colony.

Towards the evening of June 5, the mechanized Harel Brigade succeeded in taking Latrun and

Ramallah.

Also, the 163rd Infantry Battalion secured Abu Tor and cut the Old City from Bethlehem

and Hebron.

On June 7 the Israeli Minister of Defence Moshe Dayan ordered IDF to enter Old City

despite reservations and concerns of the Israeli Government.

The fighting was conducted solely by the paratroopers out of fear of destruction of holy sites.

IDF took control of the Old City after little resistance.

Judea, Hebron, Bethlehem and Nablus were also captured by IDF on June 7.

Remnants of the Jordanian army fell back into Jordan.

Israel was victorious on this front as well.

Syria also believed the Nasser about Egypt’s early success in the conflict and sent its

aviation to attack Galilee.

This attack was intercepted by the Israeli aviation.

A minor ground attack was also attempted by the Syrians in attempt to capture the water

plants at Tel Dan, Dan, and She'ar Yashuv.

This was repulsed by IDF as well.

Israeli air domination, lack of communication by Syrian units, tanks being too wide for

bridges were among the causes of unsuccessful attack of the Syrians.

This caused them to abandon any attempts to make ground offensive on Israel and airstrikes

were chosen as a method instead.

However, on the evening of June 5 Israel stroke Syrian airfields within the Operation Focus,

destroying 2/3 of the Syrian airforce and forcing the rest out of the conflict.

The Israeli leadership was unsure whether to attack Syria or not.

On one hand Syria was using Golan Heights to shell Israel, on the other hand it would

have been a literally uphill battle against a fortified enemy.

But the intelligence about weakened positions of Syria in general and in Golan Heights in

particular led Dayan to order an offensive on Golan without government authorization.

The Israeli offensive started with air strikes which severely damaged defensive infrastructure

and morale of the Syrian Army.

The 8th Armored Brigade, led by Colonel Albert Mandler, advanced into the Golan Heights from

Givat HaEm.

Heavy fighting in unfavourable terrain led to numerous casualties on both sides, but

with the help of aviation IDF ultimately captured Zaura, Qala and Ein Fit fortresses.

In the central sector, the Israeli 181st Battalion captured the strongholds of Dardara and Tel

Hillal after fierce fighting.

By the evening of June 9 Israel reached the plateau, which allowed reinforcements to come.

Israel had 8 brigades by dawn ready for an assault on the second line of defenses..

Soon the ceasefire was negotiated around the so called Purple Line.

By 11 June all military actions stopped.

Up to 983 Israelis, 15000 Egyptians, 700 Jordanians and 2500 Syrians were killed in action.

Israel gained a huge victory.

It seized the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, the West Bank of the Jordan River (including

East Jerusalem), and the Golan Heights.

About one million Arabs were placed under Israel's direct control in the newly captured

territories.

The Israeli victory came as a result of more efficient military leadership, better preparation

of troops and intelligence.

But the Six-Day war by no means was the last conflict and merely 6 years later the confrontation

escalated into another war.

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