Battle of Suez

The Battle of Suez was fought on October 24–25, 1973 between the Israel Defense Forces and the Egyptian Army in the Egyptian town of Suez. It was the last major battle of the Yom Kippur War, before a ceasefire took effect.

Battle of Suez
Part of the Yom Kippur War

Map of the Sinai campaign.
DateOctober 24–25, 1973
Location
Suez, Egypt
Result Egyptian victory
Belligerents
 Egypt  Israel
Commanders and leaders
Youssef Afifi
Adel Islam (garrison commandant)
Avraham Adan
Yossi Yoffe
Nahum Zaken
Strength
Anti-tank teams
Numerous army units with light weapons
Local police forces and militia
1 armored brigade
1 infantry battalion
Casualties and losses
Minimal At least 80 killed
and 120 wounded
40 tanks destroyed

On October 23, with the imminent arrival of UN observers to the front, Israel decided to capture Suez, assuming it would be poorly defended. An armored brigade and an infantry battalion from the Paratroopers Brigade were committed to the task, and entered the city without a battle plan.

The armored column was ambushed and severely hit, while the paratroopers came under heavy fire and many of them became trapped inside a local building. The armored column and part of the infantry force were evacuated during the day, while the main contingent of the paratrooper force eventually managed to dash out of the city and make their way back to Israeli lines.

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