1973 battle between the Egyptian Army and the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) during the last stages of the Yom Kippur War
Egypt's defense of Ismailia prevented Israeli encirclement of the Second Field Army, securing Egyptian supply lines in the final days of the Yom Kippur War.
Key Facts
- Dates
- October 18–22, 1973
- Location
- South of Ismailia, west bank of Suez Canal
- Israeli Operation
- Operation Abiray-Lev
- Israeli Objective
- Seize Ismailia and sever Second Field Army supply lines
- Outcome
- Egyptian tactical and strategic victory
- Ending Mechanism
- UN ceasefire imposed on October 22, 1973
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
After establishing a bridgehead west of the Suez Canal near the northern end of the Great Bitter Lake at Deversoir, Israeli forces launched Operation Abiray-Lev, pushing northward toward Ismailia with the goal of cutting off logistical supply lines sustaining Egypt's Second Field Army on the canal's east bank.
Between October 18 and 22, 1973, a combined Egyptian force of paratroopers and commandos fought a fighting withdrawal northward under Israeli infantry and armor pressure, ultimately holding a final defensive line along the Ismailia Canal and repulsing the last Israeli assault on the city before a UN ceasefire halted the fighting.
Egypt secured a tactical and strategic victory by preventing the capture of Ismailia. The Second Field Army's supply and logistical lines across the Suez Canal remained intact, averting encirclement of its large east-bank formations and contributing to Egypt's overall negotiating position at the end of the Yom Kippur War.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent