June 5, 1967: The thunder of Israel’s Mirage IIIC jets shattered the stillness of dawn as the Israeli Air Force (IAF), under the command of Major General Motti Hod, unleashed Operation Focus. This meticulously planned preemptive strike targeted 11 Egyptian airbases, aiming to ground Egypt’s formidable air fleet before it could take flight. The French-made Mirage fighters and Super Mystère B2 bombers, armed with napalm and precision bombs, tore through the Egyptian MiG-17s and MiG-21s parked on their runways. In three waves of attacks, Israeli pilots obliterated 286 aircraft, crippling Egypt’s air capabilities and tilting the balance of power decisively in Israel’s favor.
While the IAF dominated the skies, Israeli ground forces mobilized for a coordinated assault on multiple fronts. Major General Israel Tal’s Armored Division 84 spearheaded the thrust into the Sinai Peninsula, supported by Sho’t Kal Centurion tanks and M50 Super Shermans. Tal’s tanks smashed through Egyptian defenses at Umm Qatef, where heavily entrenched Egyptian positions bristled with Soviet-supplied T-55s and artillery. The Israeli infantry, wielding FN FAL rifles and supported by M3 half-tracks, followed close behind to consolidate gains.
Simultaneously, Colonel Ariel Sharon, commanding Armored Division 38, launched a daring flanking maneuver at Abu Ageila. Sharon’s force included AMX-13 light tanks and a mix of half-tracks and jeeps armed with recoilless rifles. Facing dug-in Egyptian infantry with AK-47s and DShK machine guns, Sharon employed an audacious night assault that overwhelmed the Egyptians with synchronized artillery barrages, paratrooper raids, and armor advances. By June 6, Sharon’s forces had shattered Egypt’s defensive lines, opening the path to the heart of the Sinai.
The Egyptian Army, numbering 100,000 men and equipped with heavy Soviet weaponry, faltered under the onslaught. President Gamal Abdel Nasser ordered a general retreat, but the withdrawal degenerated into chaos as Israeli columns pressed forward. By June 8, the Sinai Peninsula was under Israeli control, with Egyptian forces routed or in disarray.
On June 5, Jordan entered the war, despite Israeli warnings. Jordanian artillery, including U.S.-supplied M114 howitzers, pounded West Jerusalem and surrounding areas. The Arab Legion, under King Hussein and Major General Abdul Munim Riad, deployed to defend East Jerusalem and the West Bank, equipped with British Centurion tanks, Bren guns, and Lee-Enfield rifles.
Israel’s response was swift and decisive. Major General Uzi Narkiss led Division 55, a paratrooper unit that assaulted the heavily fortified Old City of Jerusalem. Backed by armored support, including M50 Shermans and half-tracks, Narkiss’s troops breached the Lion’s Gate and stormed the Temple Mount. By June 7, the Israeli flag flew over the Western Wall, marking a historic victory.
Major General Elad Peled’s Division 36 advanced rapidly in the West Bank against Jordanian positions. Israeli troops, armed with Uzi submachine guns and supported by artillery, overwhelmed Jordanian brigades entrenched in the hilly terrain. By June 8, the West Bank was firmly under Israeli control.
Syria, from its fortified positions in the Golan Heights, unleashed barrages of Katyusha rockets and 122mm howitzers on Israeli settlements. On June 9, Israel launched a counteroffensive under Major General David Elazar. The steep, rocky terrain of the Golan, defended by Syrian infantry with Soviet SKS carbines and anti-tank guns, posed a formidable challenge. Israeli forces, equipped with Centurion tanks and infantry supported by M113 armored personnel carriers, methodically climbed the heights under relentless fire.
The battle for Tel Faher, a critical Syrian stronghold, exemplified Israeli tenacity. Infantry units, armed with FN FALs and RPG-2s, engaged in brutal close-quarters combat to capture the fortified positions. By June 10, Elazar’s forces secured the Golan Heights, silencing Syrian artillery and creating a buffer zone against future attacks.
In six days, Israel achieved staggering territorial gains, tripling its size by capturing the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. This expansion came at a cost—nearly 800 Israeli soldiers lost their lives, and tens of thousands of Arab troops perished.
The captured equipment told a tale of triumph. Israel seized hundreds of Egyptian T-54 and T-55 tanks, BM-13 Katyusha rocket launchers, and artillery pieces. These spoils of war reinforced Israel’s military arsenal, further solidifying its dominance.
For the displaced Palestinian and Syrian civilians, however, the Six-Day War deepened the tragedy of exile. Villages emptied, and refugee camps swelled, their populations armed only with stories of lost homes and broken futures. In the years to come, the occupied territories became the flashpoints for insurgencies and political strife, perpetuating the cycle of violence.
The Six-Day War demonstrated the potency of preemptive strikes, tactical brilliance, and battlefield coordination. Israel’s commanders—Tal, Sharon, Narkiss, and Elazar—became legends, and their strategies are studied in military academies worldwide. But the conflict also underscored the human cost of war and the enduring complexities of territorial occupation, leaving a legacy of both triumph and turmoil that continues to define the Middle East.
Books:
Oren, Michael B. Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Segev, Tom. 1967: Israel, the War, and the Year that Transformed the Middle East. New York: Metropolitan Books, 2007.
Articles:
Shlaim, Avi. "The Protocol of Sèvres, 1956: Anatomy of a War Plot." International Affairs 73, no. 3 (1997): 509–530.
Van Creveld, Martin. "The Sword and the Olive: A Critical History of the Israeli Defense Force." Journal of Modern Military Studies 4, no. 2 (2000): 175–200.
Primary Sources:
Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) Archives. "Operation Focus: Planning Documents and Air Strike Reports." Accessed 1967.
United Nations Security Council Resolution 242, November 22, 1967.
Online Sources:
Center for Middle Eastern Studies. "The Six-Day War Overview." Harvard University. Accessed December 1, 2024. https://cmes.harvard.edu/six-day-war.
Israeli Air Force Museum. "Aircraft of the Six-Day War." Accessed December 1, 2024. https://www.iaf.org.il.
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