| a war that began on Yom Kippur in 1973 with the attack of Israel by Egypt, Syria, and Iraq: Israel recovered most of its initial losses. |
Yom Kippur War
damaging, inconclusive war and the fourth of the Arab-Israeli wars. The war was initiated by Egypt and Syria on Oct. 6, 1973, on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur and during Ramadan, the month of fasting in Islam, and continued until Oct. 26, 1973. The war, which eventually drew both the United States and the Soviet Union into indirect confrontation in defense of their respective allies, was launched with the diplomatic aim of convincing a chastened-if still undefeated-Israel to negotiate on terms more favourable to the Arab countries.
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