The Causes and Consequences of the Yom Kippur War - Article Example

Despite the fact that both sides suffered immense losses emotional, financial, and human values yet Israel was successful in retaining total control of those territories. The war was called the Yom Kippur War by the Israelis or the Ramadan War by the Arabs, as it started on the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement and Repentance) and the holy month of Ramadan. It is also called the October war as it was fought in the month of October.“On October 3rd, 1973, Anwar Sadat informed the Soviet Ambassador Vinogradoff of the imminent offensive.

A similar meeting took place in Damascus conducted by President Assad. Sadat received tactic support with the proviso that Soviet shipping would leave Egyptian and Syrian harbors and civilians would be flown out of Cairo and Damascus. These movements were noted by Israeli intelligence, which warned Lieutenant General Elazar of the eminence of war. Mossad supported this view, but military intelligence remained certain that the pressures of detente would maintain the status quo in the Middle East” (Dunstan 54).

“October 6th, 1973, 1400 hrs War begins on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur 5743) when Egyptian and Syrian forces launch coordinated offensives across the Suez Canal and Golan Heights. Heavy yank battle takes place throughout the night as the Syrian forces breach the Israeli defenses along the Purple Line” (Dunstan 21).Though the war did not result in any valid or important changes, the repercussions of the war were far-reaching on all the involved nations and their association with global superpowers.

Egypt gradually developed an alliance with the United States Of America, naturally distancing itself from the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, which had supported Egypt since the 1950s with both financial and military aid. The war met with a lot of criticism of the Israeli leaders and thereof compelled them to resign. Syria became an ally of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and a rigid supporter of Arab rights.