Egyptian soldiers preparing for Operation Badr
The Fourth Arab-Israeli soon turns to a war of revenge for the Arab nations against the state of Israel, and becomes a bloodbath, lasting from 1973-6. With the humiliating defeat in the Six-Day War, Egypt was looking for an ultimate rematch with Israel.
War begins[]
On October 6th 1973 a surprise attack was launched "Operation Badr" by the Egyptians. It starts with the Egyptian Air Force striking a major attack on Israeli air bases. Then Egyptian infantry storm the Canal shouting the great cry: "Allahu Akbar ... Allahu Akbar" (God is great). After successful fighting, the troops raised the Egyptian flag over the eastern bank in victory, Israeli reinforcements arrive. However, they are ambushed by Egyptian soldiers. After a failed Israeli counterattack, the Egyptian forces are victorious, they begin to besiege major cities in the west.
Heavy casualties[]
Israel is shocked with the number of casualties which had been inflicted upon its troops and reinforcements were needed to be drawn up quickly. Meanwhile, Egypt had suffered minimal losses when storming the canal. It had become a weak start to the war for Israel who would usually be able to repel such an attack.
Syrian attack[]
The Syrians launched their attack from the east, striking at Golan in which heavy fighting began to situate. The strong Syrian tank assault ground to a halt after a strong Israeli armored assault. Israel itself had been badly hit and was unable to crush the Syrian forces. The Syrian forces, under Russian advice, brought back its forces to the Syrian side of the border.
U.S aid to Israel and Russian response[]
The U.S president sends the 6th fleet to escort the essential military supplies to Israel, which had suffered massive losses. The Soviets, in response, also start sending supplies to Syria and Egypt such as fuel, weapons, medicine, tanks and food by flying them through Turkish airspace. Russia also wanted this to be the final war of the middle east. It would secure the oil from American hands and force the U.S to seek alternative means. Meanwhile, this would remove U.S influence which had been strongly routed since the creation of Israel in 1948.
Iraq joins the war[]
Saddam, seeing a chance for Iraq to increase its importance in the Arab world, decides to join Egypt and Syria in their war against Israel. Saddam thought this could be the one that he was looking for. He planned that if Iraq could gain strategic victories over Israel, it would demonstrate Iraqi power and also lead to future conquests that Iraq could make. Saddam began massive military buildups and with ties to Russia this assured them fresh equipment and supplies almost every week. He sent additional troops to the front, greatly increasing morale and military strength. Saddam mobilizes the Republican guard as well to assist the Arabs.
U.N under pressure[]
The UN was under great stress and pressure from Israel for its continuous requests to join the war. Sending supplies wasn't enough and soon a serious meeting took place. Israel declared that it would use any means for it to preserve its existence even if it meant going nuclear. With great pressure from his administration President finally declared war on the Arab League and many others followed including a scared Saudi Arabia.
Israel goes nuclear[]
After the American's first refusal to send troops to fight for Israel. The Israeli Prime minister decides to use the nuclear option to end the war quickly, the Israeli air force explodes two nuclear bombs on the Egyptian forces on the Suez front. Though a large percentage of men and weapons had been destroyed, the Egyptian armed forces were a long way from being neutralized. President Sadat in retaliation of the Israeli nuclear attack uses the nuclear weapons provided to Egypt by the Russians for just such a situation. The Israeli forces prepared to take advantage of the nuclear assault are destroyed.
Coalition forces arrive[]
Despite being asked not to fire nuclear missiles, America still sent it Coalition forces to secure Israel's safety. After Israel's 1st and 6th divisions were destroyed in the nuclear exchange. President Nixon, under great pressure from his administration, decided to send American military forces to defend Israel. Though it took U.N forces three weeks to arrive in Saudi Arabia and Israel - only small units were sent to help, Israel asked for large divisions to be sent. Nothing much happened because both sides had been greatly weakened from the nuclear exchange and were calling up reserves and waiting for the weapons which were promised to them by their allies.
Arab offensive[]
The League launched Operation: Mujahideen against the Coalition going straight into the offensive. New supplies of tanks from the Soviet Union allowed the Republican guard to gain a strong advantage over Coalition tanks. They began a ground invasion of Saudi Arabia, which Saudi Arabia had feared would happen. Military forces pierced Coalition forces although they suffered casualties they were able to crush Western forces in "the battle of northern Arabia" and successfully besieged Riyahd and captured it. Arab forces made sure that the holy cities would be left untouched and they asked Saudi troops to not fight there. However, they did not listen and they were forced to engage the cities. By now thousands of Muslims across the world were traveling to the Middle East to participate in "Jihad" (holy war) against the west and to begin the removal of westernization from it. They began to form their own groups of "Mujihadeen" (holy warriors) hence inspiring the League to name their operation after it.
Coalition offensives[]
The Coalition at this time attempted to make initial offensives. However, they simply resulted in complete defeat. A direct confrontation became impossible and soon troops were being pushed back.
Khalid ibn Assad[]
A separatist leader known as Khalid Ibn Assad, a veteran of the Yemenite civil war, gathered supporters and launched a revolution, he televised the President's execution and declared "the Islamic State of Yemen." The United States rejoiced at this thinking Yemen was out of the war. However, he also televised his speech on "the destruction of the Zionist state and the removal of western influence from the Middle East".
Mecca and Medina[]
The holy cities had been under siege for four weeks and there was no sign of stopping. However, with the Yemenite revolution and the creation of an Islamic state, the League could expect the help of Ib Assad. He sent 10,000 horsemen. They successfully added pressure to the siege and both cities surrendered the same day. Because of the holy city soldiers were not massacred - they were instead imprisoned. As a reward, Yemen was allowed to keep the Hijaz area.
The Sword of Islam[]
A highly organised Islamic group calling themselves "the Sword of Islam" began to launch guerrilla attacks against the Coalition in Saudi Arabia which made lives for them like hell. Continuous bombardment of facilities, stations, munition dumps and killing hundred of soldiers. This was no crack down rebel unit. They wanted to remove western influence and establish a "khalifa" (Islamic state) in Saudi Arabia.
Losing the fight[]
It was clear by now that the Coalition had failed to make any effective achievements.
Soviet intervention[]
With the U.S entering the war directly, the Soviets immediately entered as well declaring war upon Israel and NATO. Despite the request of the Arabs the Soviets sent only a single motor rifle division to help out the Arabs. Egyptian forces now battling with combined Israeli-American armies decided to return to the eastern shore of the Suez Canal. The Syrian Air Force, now that the I.A.F. intention was placed upon the Egyptian front, was able to bomb Tel Aviv causing great damage and heavy loss to the Israeli morale.
Palestinian Incursion[]
It seemed that Israel was about to well and truly fall and this caused the Palestinians to rise and retake their homeland from the invaders once and for all. They began to wear black and white banners and declared war on their hated enemies. The rebellion starting from Gaza spread to Tel Aviv and to Jerusalem itself. The Spetsnaz commandos were able to reach the rebels and supply them with weapons, explosives and other firearms. Though the Palestinians were not able to do anything beyond random attacks they were still able to force the Israelis to use one whole division and thus weaken their defence elsewhere .
Spetsnaz preparing for a "search and destroy" mission near Jerusalem
The destruction of the U.S 6th Fleet[]
President Nixon, wanting to end the war quickly, decided to launch an amphibious invasion of Alexandria and from there head for Cairo but the Soviets were able to acquire this war plan and destroy the 6th Fleet of the coast of Cyprus. This was America's only attempt to open up a third front against the Arab nations.
Jordan enters the war[]
Even with U.S intervention the Israeli forces were barely able to hold the ground and the Israeli generals and P.M were unwilling to come to a peace deal with the Arabs, fearing that it would lead to the destruction of Israel. At about this time the king of Jordan, realizing that this could be the final war against the Zionists, sent his troops across the border striking toward Jerusalem, sending all major units and brigades. This was Israel's last straw with reinforcements of Iraqi additional troops coming from the north and with rebellions occurring especially in Gaza and now with Jordan launching attacks Israel was forced to give up and retreat to its pre-Six-Day War borders. This was done because it gave Israel a chance to consolidate its forces.
Destruction of Israel[]
Jordanian forces conquered Jerusalem after a 30-day siege; with its recapture no mercy would be given to the people and a new purge would begin. With the fall of the capital, incursions into Gaza and Tel Aviv and with Iraqi reinforcements arriving, the State of Israel collapsed and America lost its only ally in the region. It was a celebrated day in all the Muslim world. The Holy Land had been restored to its rightful owners.
The people of Palestine rejoicing
The fight continues[]
President Saddat, seeing the war going beyond his wildest dreams, decided to offer the Israelis an olive leaf and bring peace to the land if they gave the Palestinians their country and return to their 1967 borders. The Israelis, thinking this to be a sign of weakness, launch Operation: Shalom. Israel used its nuclear arsenal against the advancing Arab League forces in Jordan, Iraq and Syria. However, they failed to destroy anything major, such as key government buildings or military bases; all they achieved was striking at black pitches.
Creation of an Independent Palestine[]
While Arab League forces were still on Palestinian ground, the League decided to form a Palestinian state as soon as possible. Although smaller than the original Palestine, it would be much more effective and its capital, although the King of Jordan wasn't too eager, he gave back Jerusalem as the capital city of the new nation. Its military was to be large and heavily trained by the elite forces of the republican guard and Soviet Spetsnaz. "The Palestinian army" began its first combat entering the war and joining the fight against Jewish resistance forces scattered throughout the former nation.
The new military force of Palestine
The nuking of Tel Aviv[]
The Soviets, angry at the nukes fired at their allies, nuked Tel Aviv and ordered the end of the war, otherwise the rest of Israel would be turned to glass. The Soviets made it appear that terrorists attacked a nuclear compound in Russia and detonated it towards Israel as retaliation - although no such evidence was found and was most likely the USSR who fired it themselves.
Tel Aviv after the Soviet strike
End of Coalition and war[]
The remaining Coalition forces surrendered in Beirut and signed a treaty in Cairo, terms would be as follows ...
- All western influence would be removed from the Middle East.
- The west and America would no longer involve themselves in the affairs of the Middle East.
- The religion of Islam would be practiced the way the leaders would implement it.
- The west would recognize "The Islamic State of Palestine".
Situation in 1976[]
By July 1976 the remaining rebels were hunted down and killed and U.S forces were almost depleted. "The sword of Islam" had gained much of the Nejd and started "The Islamic Emirate of Nejd". Yemen dominated southern and western Arabia, while Iraq held complete control of the east. The new state of Palestine was thriving and recovering rapidly.