The “Valley of Tears” Battle Aftermath
1973, Yom Kippur War. One single Israeli Armoured Brigade with 100 tanks and IFVs held out for 3 days against an entire Syrian Infantry Division which had 500 tanks and IFVs.
As the battle raged on the Golan Heights, the Israelis had to retreat several times, trading ground for time. On the third day, their brigade had lost 80 armoured vehicles out of 100 and were running out of ammunition. They had inflicted terrible casualties on their enemy as the Syrians had lost 300 out of 500 vehicles. Nevertheless, all seemed lost, and it looked like the Syrians would manage to break through the thin Israeli line and be able to rush toward Israel proper.
The Turning Point of the Battle
However, just as it was about to happen, the Syrians stopped and turned back. Some historians say the Syrians gave up because of the huge casualties they incurred: They did not know how close to breaking through they were!
Conspiracy Theories and Strategic Moves
Dig deeper, however, and you’ll quickly find some conspiracy theories that say that Israel threatened Damascus with a nuclear strike should Syrian tanks break through the Israeli line of defence, which is why the Syrian division turned tail at the crucial moment…
-RBM
