While the whole country was collectively observing Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, Egyptian and Syrian forces shocked Israel at its most vulnerable when it launched a coordinated attack. Despite being unprepared and outnumbered, the Israeli army beat back Egypt, Syria, who were armed with Soviet weapons and supported by Jordanian and Iraqi troops, recapturing the Golan Heights – but with heavy casualties. Prime Minister Golda Meir was forced to step down, but memorably held that “Israel will only have peace when Arabs love their children more than they hate us.”

Hoping to win back the territory captured by Israel during the 1967 war, Egypt and Syria seize the opportunity and launch an attack against Israel on Yom Kippur, when most of the army will be away from their posts. With the Jewish state four times its previous size, it is time for the Arab nations to regain their land at the Golan Heights and the Sinai Peninsula, plus, their standing in the region. Despite defeat for Syria, Egyptian president Anwar Sadat is commended for Egypt’s success, which sets the stage to seek a ceasefire with Israel.