| What was the Surprise Attack during the Yom Kippur War of 1973? | A coordinated assault by Egypt and Syria on Israel, taking advantage of the religious holiday. |
| What was the Oil Embargo in response to the Yom Kippur War? | An Arab-led oil embargo against Western nations that supported Israel. |
| What were the Camp David Accords? | A peace agreement brokered in 1978 between Egypt and Israel, resolving war-related issues and marking the first peace treaty between Israel and an Arab nation. |
| What areas did Israel control before the Yom Kippur War? | Israel controlled the Golan Heights and Sinai. |
| What was the nature of the war between March 1969 and August 1970? | A limited but prolonged war of attrition, with Nasser launching raids against Israeli positions on the eastern bank of the Suez Canal. |
| Why did Anwar Sadat want to engage in the Yom Kippur War after becoming President of Egypt? | Sadat believed the fighting over the Suez Canal was draining Egyptian finances and morale, and he also sought the reclamation of the Sinai Peninsula. |
| What did Sadat offer in return for Israel's withdrawal from Sinai in the 1971-2 period? | Sadat indicated a willingness to recognize the state of Israel, reopen the Suez Canal to international shipping, and extend the ceasefire. |
| How did Sadat try to influence U.S. foreign policy regarding Israel? | Sadat attempted to convince the U.S. to pressure Israel to accept his terms for peace. |
| What significant action did Sadat take in 1972 regarding Soviet influence in Egypt? | Sadat expelled 15,000 Soviet military advisers from Egypt. |
| Why did Sadat believe the stalemate could only be broken by war? | Sadat believed that Egypt's military had improved with Soviet aid, and that only an international crisis could force superpowers to intervene. |
| Which countries did Egypt form closer alliances with in the lead-up to the war? | Egypt became closely allied with Saudi Arabia and Syria. |
| What did the Egyptian forces achieve during their initial offensive in the Sinai? | Egyptian forces crossed the Suez Canal, broke through Israeli fortifications, and destroyed 300 Israeli tanks. |
| What limited the effectiveness of the Israeli air force during the Egyptian offensive? | The strong anti-aircraft SAM systems used by Egypt prevented the effectiveness of the Israeli air force. |
| How did Israel respond to the Egyptian offensive by 15 October? | Israel launched a counter-attack, pushing onto the Egyptian mainland and encircling the Egyptian Third Army. |
| What was the outcome of the Syrian offensive in the Golan Heights during the war? | Syrian forces initially overwhelmed Israeli defenses with 500 tanks, but by 12 October, Israel started to repel the Syrian advance. |
| What was "Operation Nickel Grass" initiated by the United States? | A massive airlift to resupply Israel with military equipment, including tanks, artillery, and ammunition, to counter Soviet aid to Arab states. |
| How much military aid did the United States airlift to Israel by December 1973? | Thousands of tons of advanced weaponry, including fighter-bombers, helicopters, tanks, SAMs, and artillery. |
| What military aid did the Soviet Union send to Egypt and Syria during the war? | 12,000 to 15,000 tons of military supplies, with an additional 60,000 tons sent to Syria by sea, including tanks, artillery, and possibly nuclear weapons. |
| What did President Nixon request on October 19, 1973? | $2.2 billion in emergency aid for Israel, reflecting the USA's commitment to Israeli defense. |
| When did the USA place its nuclear forces on DEFCON 3, and why? | On October 25, 1973, in response to the Soviet proposal for intervention, signaling a superpower standoff. |
| What did the Soviet Union begin doing on October 9, 1973? | The USSR began an airlift to resupply Egypt and Syria with arms, ammunition, and military equipment. |
| How did the Soviet Union escalate its resupply efforts on October 12, 1973? | The USSR intensified its resupply effort, conducting over 100 flights to deliver military aid. |
| What did the USSR propose on October 24, 1973, that raised concerns about superpower conflict? | The USSR proposed joint US-Soviet military intervention to enforce the UN ceasefire, raising fears of direct superpower conflict. |
| How did Egypt regain political prestige after the Yom Kippur War? | Egypt regained political prestige after the initial military success and recovered part of the Sinai Peninsula through diplomacy (Camp David Accords, 1978). |
| What was the impact of the war on Syria? | Syria failed to reclaim the Golan Heights, suffered significant military losses, and continued its hostility with Israel, maintaining tensions in the region. |
| How did Israel fare in the Yom Kippur War? | Israel successfully repelled Egyptian and Syrian forces after early setbacks, retained the Golan Heights and most of the Sinai, but faced criticism for intelligence failures and high casualties, leading to internal political unrest. |
| What was the result of the war for the United States? | The United States enhanced its influence in the Middle East by brokering peace agreements (e.g., Camp David), strengthened ties with Israel, but faced backlash from Arab nations. |
| How did the Soviet Union's role in the war affect its influence? | The Soviet Union provided significant military aid to Egypt and Syria but lost influence in Egypt as Sadat pivoted towards the U.S., highlighting the limitations of Soviet-backed allies. |
| What were the consequences for Arab nations following the Yom Kippur War? | Arab nations strengthened unity during the war but faced setbacks with the oil embargo's limited long-term success and divisions emerged after Egypt's peace treaty with Israel. |
| How did the Yom Kippur War affect the global community? | The global community experienced an energy crisis due to the Arab-led oil embargo and the war highlighted the fragility of peace and stability in the Middle East. |
| How did many Arabs view the Yom Kippur War? | Many Arabs viewed the war as a symbolic victory, particularly for Egypt, as it restored Arab pride after the humiliation of the Six-Day War and demonstrated their ability to challenge Israel militarily. |
| How do Israelis interpret the Yom Kippur War? | Israelis interpret the war as a testament to their resilience and ability to overcome surprise attacks, but it also highlighted weaknesses in Israeli intelligence and military overconfidence, leading to significant introspection. |
| How was the Yom Kippur War seen as a turning point for peace? | The war is seen as a catalyst for peace, particularly for Egypt and Israel, paving the way for the Camp David Accords (1978), which led to the first peace treaty between an Arab state and Israel. |
| What role did oil play in the Yom Kippur War? | The war showcased the economic power of Arab nations through the use of the oil embargo as a geopolitical tool, influencing global energy markets and Western foreign policy. |
