The Egyptian attack on Israel in October 1973 that sparked the Yom Kippur War resulted in a "miracle" that made Israel realize it must seek peace with its Arab neighbor, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said at an event Thursday marking the 45th anniversary of the war.
Egypt and Syria jointly launched a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 6, 1973, while Israelis were observing the holiest day on the Jewish calendar, with Egyptian troops crossing the Suez Canal and Syrian forces moving into the Golan Heights.
Speaking of Egypt's "daring" decision to attack Israel despite the Jewish state's military edge, el-Sissi turned to a car analogy.
"It was like a SEAT racing a Mercedes," he said.
"Who if not real men would even consider doing that, taking on a Mercedes that was assured victory?
"The results of the war were a miracle. The losses made Israel embrace a peace deal because there were thousands of dead, and it would not tolerate having so many dead again," he said.
Israel was initially caught off-guard by the attack, but ultimately it gained the upper hand. Nevertheless, Egypt managed to hold on to much of the territory it captured during the first days of the war.
Egypt refers to it as the October War and depicts it as a glorious military victory that paved the way for the 1979 peace treaty with Israel and the return of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt.
El-Sissi said the war demonstrates the essence of the Egyptian spirit.
"If the Egyptian military did this in the past, it can do so again in the future; Israel has not suffered so many casualties in any war since," he said.
He urged the Egyptian people to show the same resolve in facing hardships today.
"I ask you, as an Egyptian citizen, to protect this country just as they [the soldiers then] did. We must be patient and we must build and grow," he said.
