Six-Day War: Israel History
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Within the brief span of six days, the IDF overran the Sinai peninsula; took the entire West Bank of the River Jordan; and captured a great part of the Golan Heights.
The culminating event in this war was the capture of the Old City of Jerusalem.
The Six-Day War began on June 5, 1967. After an extended period of hostility and threats from Israel's neighbors, Israel attacked Egypt and Operation Focus (Moked) began.
Operation Focus was a massive airstrike - launched by the Israeli Air Force (IAF) under Maj. Gen. Mordechai Hod - that destroyed the majority of the Egyptian Air Force on the ground. By noon on that same day, June 5th, the Egyptian, Jordanian and Syrian Air Forces, with about 450 aircraft, were destroyed. The Operation managed to successfully disable 18 airfields in Egypt, hindering Egyptian Air Force operations for the duration of the war and remains, to this day, one of the most successful air attack campaigns in military history.
Israel was being faced with hostilities from three sides: Egypt, Syria, and Jordan. They had to take a risk and wait to see if the conflicts progressed, or do something to prevent from being taken off the map
Within the brief span of six days, the IDF overran the whole Sinai peninsula, up to the Suez Canal; took the entire West Bank of the River Jordan; and in the last days, without the benefit of surprise, captured a great part of the Golan Heights, including the dominant Mount Hermon - from then on "the eyes and ears of Israel".
The culminating event was the capture of the Old City of Jerusalem and the re-encounter with the place most revered by Jews, the Western (Wailing) Wall.
The blowing of the shofar at the Western Wall reverberated throughout the world and by June 10, Israel had completed its final offensive in the Golan Heights, and a ceasefire was signed the day after.