Originally posted by Kieran
Israeli military is tough, no question; but they ARE small, and would not survive a conventional all-out war against the Arab world alone.
Once in a while it's okay to admit you are wrong.
And in this point you are quite wrong. You make it sound like Israel lost the Yom Kippur war.
Thrown onto the defensive during the first two days of fighting, Israel mobilized its reserves and eventually repulsed the invaders and carried the war deep into Syria and Egypt. The Arab states were swiftly resupplied by sea and air from the Soviet Union, which rejected U.S. efforts to work toward an immediate cease_fire. As a result, the United States belatedly began its own airlift to Israel. Two weeks later, Egypt was saved from a disastrous defeat by the UN Security Council, which had failed to act while the tide was in the Arabs' favor.
YOU made it sound like the U.S. bailed them out, as opposed to the U.N. stepped in and SAVED Egypt! Political postureing between superpowers in a regional conflict? Sure. But from "who was winning that fight" perspective, hands down Israel was winning. After the first couple of days of scrambling (80% of their military hast to be called up from it's population), the IDF kicked the snot out of a MUCH larger Arab force. Like they have time and time again vs. the Arabs who always had numerical superiority.
In the 6 day war, Israel crushed the Arab countries in several stunning victories.
Israel launched a pre-emptive strike against Egypt on June 5, 1967 and captured the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip. Despite an Israeli appeal to Jordan to stay out of the conflict, Jordan attacked Israel and lost control of the West Bank and the eastern sector of Jerusalem. Israel went on to capture the Golan Heights from Syria. The war ended on June 10.
It's the HOW they captured all this territory that is so awesome.
On the morning of June 5, Israel launched a devastating attack on Arab air power, destroying about 300 Egyptian, 50 Syrian, and 20 Jordanian aircraft, mostly on the ground. This action, which virtually eliminated the Arab air forces, was immediately followed by ground invasions into Sinai and the Gaza Strip, Jordan, and finally Syria. Arab ground forces, lacking air support, were routed on all three fronts; by the time the UN-imposed cease-fire took effect in the evening of June 11, the IDF had seized the entire Sinai Peninsula to the east bank of the Suez Canal; the West Bank of Jordan, including East Jerusalem; and the Golan Heights of Syria.
The IDF had proven itself superior to the far larger forces of the combined Arab armies.
Bottom line, Israel is one tough little country. They have proven it again and again in the past. I would worry more about how much of the Arab lands Israel would capture if they felt like it, because the Arabs couldn't stop them.
+Lute
III/JG26 9th ST WidowMakers
