Military Analysis and History

  THE MYTH OF ISRAELI INVINCIBILITY. PART V 1973 – Yom Kippur War              In 1970, following the War of Attrition, Israel's military superiority over its Arab neighbors had been largely neutralized. Some of the advantages present in the first three armed conflicts (the 1947–1949 Arab-Israeli War, the 1956 Sinai Campaign, and the Six-Day War) were no longer applicable, namely air power, 'blitzkrieg' tactics, and technological superiority. What remained were intelligence superiority and massive external support.        Overall, Israel's security situation had improved. Egypt and Syria remained enemies, but Jordan no longer threatened Israel's borders. Although Jordan was to participate in the war with troops, the eastern border no longer posed problems for the Israeli army, allowing it to concentrate its forces in the northeast and the Sinai. The Suez Canal remained the demarcation line with Egypt, where the ...