Yom Kippur War Website

intelligence material that preceded the war, which was submitted by Zeira to the official Agranat Commission appointed by the Israeli government to investigate the war and the failings that occurred in the lead-up to it.

It also includes information on the fall of the Israeli Hermon outpost to Syrian forces.

The date is October 12, 1973, and after being surprised by a ferocious Syrian and Egyptian multi-front attack six days beforehand, Israeli military chiefs met to plan a series of counter-strikes.

This is the dramatic story of the Yom Kippur War, as told by one of thousands of documents now available on a new, Hebrew-language website launched on Sunday by the Israeli Defense Ministry and Israel Defense Forces archives to mark 50 years since the war.

In total, the website contains 15,301 photographs, 6,085 documents, 215 videos, 40 audio recordings and 169 maps, reflecting battle zones, tactical and strategic considerations by decision makers and dramatic moments during the fighting.

The website “was set up in order to tell the story of the war’s generation, to commemorate the bravery of the soldiers, and to form an official state platform for providing a legacy of the war for future generations,” said the Defense Ministry. (JNS)

A tourist boat on Italy’s Lake Maggiore capsized over the weekend after it overturned in strong winds. Four people were killed in the incident, including a 50-year-old Israeli man who was a retired member of the Israeli security forc-

The deceased Israeli man became friends with the Italian officers after they became acquainted through their work, according to Hebrew-language media reports.

In terms of the scope of official documents available, the new site is the largest to date focusing on the Yom Kippur War, and also contains images, videos, audio recordings and testimonies.

A document marked “top secret” and dated October 12, 1973, includes protocols from a key discussion between IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. David (Dado) Elazar, Israeli Air Force Commander Maj. Gen. Benny Peled, Military Intelligence chief Maj. Gen. Eli Zeira and other senior military officials.

They discussed the forward positioning of IAF aircraft to enable them to attack Egyptian forces, and the need to begin striking deeper inside Egypt, beyond the Sinai battle zone.

The officers also discussed the need to interrogate a captive Egyptian battalion commander to get further intelligence before the strikes go ahead.

On October 14, dozens of IAF F-4 jets attempted to attack Egyptian air bases between Cairo and Alexandra and entered into an intense engagement with the Egyptian Air Force, in what became known as the air battle of Mansoura. The EAF Commander was Hosni Mubarak, who went on to become Egypt’s president. The EAF, despite sustaining losses, was able to force some of the Israeli jets to abort strikes on ground targets.

That same day, Egyptian helicopters landed 100 commandos in Sinai to attack in the Israeli rear, but an IDF reconnaissance unit engaged them rapidly, killing 60 and taking many others captive.

The new Defense Ministry website unveils for the first time most of the