On October 6, 1973, a combined attack by the armies and air forces of Egypt and Syria breached Israeli defenses and launched a nearly three-week war that cost the lives of some 3,000 Israelis and maimed and scarred thousands of others.
The surprise pincer attack on Israel's holiest day reshaped the country's history, shaking the confidence of the region's most formidable power.
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In the ensuing 46 years, after two wars (in Lebanon), two intifadas, several bloody operations in Gaza, thousands of missiles and countless suicide bombings later – the Yom Kippur War is very much present in the lives of Israelis today and the psyche of the security establishment.
"That war is present in every major decision made by politicians and often by individuals who have lived through it," says Dr. Tirza Hechter, author of the book "The Yom Kippur War – Trauma, Memory and Myth."
"Comparing the first 20 years after the war to those after 1993, I can safely say every significant event since 1973 is in dialogue with the myths and memories of that traumatic historic event."
The Yom Kippur war and the failure of the country's defense forces to anticipate such an attack eventually led to the downfall of Israel's first and only female prime minister, Golda Meir, who was never able to regain the public's trust.
Now, 46 years later, i24NEWS looks back at an era-defining moment in the early history of the Jewish state.
This article was originally published by i24NEWS.
