Key Facts
- Date
- Night of November 2–3, 1955
- Egyptian soldiers killed
- 81
- Egyptian prisoners taken
- 55
- Israeli fatalities
- 6
- Also known as
- Operation Sabcha
Strategic Narrative Overview
On the night of November 2–3, 1955, the Israel Defense Forces launched Operation Volcano, a coordinated assault against Egyptian military positions in and around the Nitzana/Auja vicinity. The operation was conducted under cover of darkness and targeted multiple Egyptian positions simultaneously. Israeli forces overwhelmed the defenders, killing 81 Egyptian soldiers and capturing 55 others, while sustaining six fatalities of their own.
01 / The Origins
In the mid-1950s, tensions along the Israeli-Egyptian frontier intensified around the Demilitarized Zone established near Nitzana/Auja following the 1948 Arab-Israeli War. Egyptian military forces had established positions within the zone, which Israel considered a violation of armistice arrangements. These encroachments, combined with broader regional hostilities and cross-border raids, prompted Israel to plan a large-scale offensive operation to remove Egyptian forces from the area entirely.
03 / The Outcome
The operation achieved its primary objective: the permanent expulsion of Egyptian forces from the Demilitarized Zone. Israel's seizure of the zone altered the local military balance and eliminated a source of ongoing friction. The raid was one of several large IDF retaliatory and preemptive operations during this period that contributed to escalating tensions ultimately leading to the 1956 Suez Crisis.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.