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October 6
Arab states launch massive attack on Israel
1973: Arab states launch massive attack on Israel
England have
Heavy fighting has erupted between Arab and Israeli forces along two
fronts.
To the south, Egyptian armoured forces have broken the Israeli line on the
eastern bank of the Suez Canal.
In the north, Syrian troops and tanks are battling with Israeli defences
along the Golan Heights.
Both sides have accused each other of firing the first shots, but UN
observers have reported seeing Egyptian and Syrian troops crossing into
Israeli-held territory.
Israeli defence minister, General Moshe Dayan has told the nation in a
televised address: "We must realise this is war. We are engaged in heavy battles
on both fronts against numerically superior forces."
The attacks have come on the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, and the holiest
day in the Jewish calendar.
Most Jews had been observing strict religious rules of fasting and prayer,
but with the outbreak of fighting, Israel"s civilian reserve force is now
rushing to mobilise.
The heaviest fighting has been reported along the Suez Canal and the
adjoining Sinai peninsula .
Israel"s Prime Minister, Mrs. Golda Meir, claimed in a radio address that
heavy losses have been inflicted on both Egypt and Syria.
But an Egyptian military communiqu?has stated the Canal is now almost
entirely under their control.
Damascus radio said Syrian forces on the northern frontier have captured
Israeli positions on the Golan Heights, notably Mount Hermon.
But the claims are being countered by the Israelis, who say the situation
in the border region remains "adequate".
Israel is outnumbered three to two in immediately available man-power,
three to two in tanks and two to one in combat aircraft against the combined
forces of Egypt and Syria.
British Foreign Office officials say there is a risk neighbouring countries
may become involved.
Algeria, Libya, Kuwait, Jordan and the Lebanon have all pledged their
support for the Arab offensive.
Sadat established an historic detente with Israel
1981: Egypt"s President Sadat assassinated
Artificially 1969: FilmTheTheAA President Sadat of Egypt has died after
being shot by gunmen who opened fire as he watched an aerial display at a
military parade.
A number of other dignitaries including foreign diplomats were killed or
seriously wounded.
The Egyptian authorities have declared a state of emergency.
President Sadat was attending the eighth anniversary of the Yom Kippur war
with Israel as Field Marshal of the armed forces.
He had taken the salute, laid a wreath and was viewing an aerial display
from the Egyptian Air force when two grenades exploded.
Gunmen then leapt from a military truck in front of the presidential
reviewing stand and ran towards the spectators, raking officials with automatic
gunfire.
Despite typically large numbers of security personnel for the ceremonial
occasion, eyewitnesses say the attackers were able to keep shooting for well
over a minute.
By the time the President"s bodyguards returned fire at least ten people
lay seriously injured or dead inside the stand.
Security forces then shot and killed two of the attackers and overpowered
the rest, as crowds of military and civilian spectators scrambled for cover.
President Sadat was airlifted by helicopter to a military hospital, and is
believed to have died about two hours later.
The precision with which the attack was coordinated has prompted suspicions
that the attackers benefited from high-level intelligence and support.
A group calling itself the Independent Organisation for the Liberation of
Egypt says it carried out the attack but the claim has not been verified.
Reaction to President"s Sadat"s death has been mixed. President Reagan
condemned Anwar Sadat"s death as an act of infamy:
"America has lost a great friend, the world has lost a great statesman, and
mankind has lost a champion of peace," he said.
But many have been celebrating the news. In Libya, Tripoli radio said every
tyrant has an end, as thousands took to the streets of the capital in
jubilation.
Neither has the Palestinian Liberation Organisation condemned the
assassination. Nabil Ramlawi a PLO official said:
"We were expecting this end of President Sadat because we are sure he was
against the interests of his people, the Arab nations and the Palestinian
people."
Vocabulary:
peninsula: a portion of land nearly surrounded by water(半岛)
grenade : a small explosive bomb thrown by hand or fired from a
missile(手榴弹) |
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发表于 2016-7-9 23:18:28