Editing Six-Day War (section)

=== West Bank ===
[[File:1967 Six Day War - The Jordan salient.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35|The Jordan [[Salient (military)|salient]], 5–7 June.]]

====Egyptian control of Jordanian forces====
King Hussein had given control of his army to Egypt on 1 June, on which date Egyptian General Riad arrived in [[Amman]] to take control of the Jordanian military.{{Efn|Shlaim writes: "To understand Hussein's conduct during the June 1967 War it is essential to recall that he had handed over command of his army to Egypt under the terms of his pact with Nasser. On 1 June, General Riad arrived in Amman and assumed command of the Jordanian armed forces."{{Sfnp|Shlaim|Louis|2012|p=112}}}}

Egyptian Field Marshal Amer used the [[Fog of war|confusion]] of the first hours of the conflict to send a cable to Amman that he was victorious; he claimed as evidence a radar sighting of a squadron of Israeli aircraft returning from bombing raids in Egypt, which he said was an Egyptian aircraft en route to attack Israel.{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|pp=184–185}} In this cable, sent shortly before 9:00&nbsp;am, Riad was ordered to attack.{{Efn|On the initial Jordanian attack, Shlaim writes: "The cable was from First Vice-President and Deputy Supreme Commander Field Marshal Abd al-Hakim Amer. Amer was a nincompoop who largely owed his rapid promotion to his friendship with Nasser... He was inexperienced in military affairs, impulsive, and prone to wishful thinking... Amer's cable to Riad was a pack of lies... On the basis of these alleged successes, Amer ordered Riad to open a new front against the enemy and launch offensive operations. By the time Hussein arrived at the headquarters, Riad had already given the orders for the artillery to move to the front lines and bombard Israeli airbases and other targets; an infantry brigade to occupy the Israeli enclave on Mount Scopus in Jerusalem; the two Egyptian commando battalions to infiltrate enemy territory from the West Bank at dusk; and the air force to be put on combat alert and commence airstrikes immediately. Although these decisions were made in his absence, Hussein made no attempt to cancel them or to delay the opening of fire until the information from Cairo could be checked. Jordan was thus committed to war by the decision of an Egyptian general who was acting on the orders of a serial blunderer in Cairo."{{Sfnp|Shlaim|Louis|2012|p=113}}}}

====Initial attack====
One of the Jordanian brigades stationed in the [[West Bank]] was sent to the [[Hebron]] area in order to link with the Egyptians.

The IDF's strategic plan was to remain on the defensive along the Jordanian front, to enable focus in the expected campaign against Egypt.

Intermittent machine-gun exchanges began taking place in Jerusalem at 9:30&nbsp;am, and the fighting gradually escalated as the Jordanians introduced mortar and recoilless rifle fire. Under the orders from General Narkis, the Israelis responded only with small-arms fire, firing in a flat trajectory to avoid hitting civilians, holy sites or the Old City. At 10:00&nbsp;am on 5 June, the [[Jordanian Army]] began shelling Israel. Two batteries of 155&nbsp;mm [[155 mm Long Tom|Long Tom]] cannons opened fire on the suburbs of [[Tel Aviv]] and [[Ramat David Airbase]]. The commanders of these batteries were instructed to lay a two-hour barrage against military and civilian settlements in central Israel. Some shells hit the outskirts of Tel Aviv.<ref name="Washington Institute for Near East Policy 2002">"On June 5, Israel sent a message to Hussein urging him not to open fire. Despite shelling into West Jerusalem, Netanya, and the outskirts of Tel Aviv, Israel did nothing." [http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2080 The Six-Day War and Its Enduring Legacy] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060216005405/http://www.washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2080 |date=16 February 2006 }}. Summary of remarks by Michael Oren at the [[Washington Institute for Near East Policy]], 29 May 2002.</ref>

By 10:30&nbsp;am, Eshkol had sent a message via [[Odd Bull]] to [[Hussein of Jordan|King Hussein]] promising not to initiate any action against Jordan if it stayed out of the war.<ref name="Neff1984">{{Cite book|author=Donald Neff|title=Warriors for Jerusalem: the six days that changed the Middle East|url=https://archive.org/details/warriorsforjerus00neff|url-access=registration|year=1984|publisher=Linden Press/Simon & Schuster|isbn=978-0-671-45485-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/warriorsforjerus00neff/page/205 205]|quote=Odd Bull: "[the message] was a threat, pure and simple and it is not the normal practice of the U.N. to pass on threats from one government to another." As "…this message seemed so important… we quickly sent it…and King Hussein received the message before 10:30 the same morning."|access-date=27 October 2015}}</ref> King Hussein replied that it was too late, and "[[alea iacta est|the die was cast]]".<ref name="Shlaim2000p243" /> At 11:15&nbsp;am, Jordanian howitzers began a 6,000-shell barrage at Israeli Jerusalem. The Jordanians initially targeted [[kibbutz]] [[Ramat Rachel]] in the south and [[Mount Scopus]] in the north, then ranged into the city center and outlying neighborhoods. Military installations, the Prime Minister's Residence, and the [[Knesset]] compound were also targeted. Jordanian forces shelled the [[Beit HaNassi]] and the [[Biblical Zoo]], killing fifteen civilians.<ref>{{Cite news |title=The broom closet where history was made |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/the-broom-closet-where-history-was-made-492065 |access-date=2022-06-11 |website=[[The Jerusalem Post]] |language=en-US |archive-date=11 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611160925/https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/the-broom-closet-where-history-was-made-492065 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=⁨15 _אזרחים נהרגו ו‭500" נפצעו בירושלים ⁩ — ⁨⁨דבר⁩ 7 יוני 1967⁩ — הספרייה הלאומית של ישראל │ עיתונים |url=https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/dav/1967/06/07/01/article/15 |access-date=2022-06-11 |website=www.nli.org.il |language=he |archive-date=17 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517182614/https://www.nli.org.il/he/newspapers/dav/1967/06/07/01/article/15 |url-status=live }}</ref> Israeli [[civilian casualties]] totalled 20 dead and over 1,000 wounded. Some 900 buildings were damaged, including [[Hadassah Medical Center|Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital]], which had its [[Chagall]]-made windows destroyed.{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|pp=185–187}}

Around midday, eight Iraqi Hawker Hunters attacked the [[Kfar Sirkin]] airfield, destroying a [[Noratlas]] transport aircraft and a [[Piper Super Cub]]. Four Jordanian Hunters also hit a factory hall in [[Netanya]], killing one civilian and wounding seven.<ref>{{harvnb|Sipos|Cooper|2020|pages=67-68}}</ref>

==== Israeli cabinet meets ====
When the [[Israeli cabinet]] convened to decide on a plan of action, [[Yigal Allon]] and [[Menahem Begin]] argued that this was an opportunity to take the [[Old City (Jerusalem)|Old City of Jerusalem]], but [[Levi Eshkol|Eshkol]] decided to defer any decision until [[Moshe Dayan]] and [[Yitzhak Rabin]] could be consulted.{{Sfnp|Shlaim|2007|p=244}} [[Uzi Narkiss]] made proposals for military action, including the capture of [[Latrun]], but the cabinet turned him down. Dayan rejected multiple requests from Narkiss for permission to mount an infantry assault towards Mount Scopus but sanctioned some limited retaliatory actions.{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|pp=187–188}}

==== Initial response ====
Shortly before 12:30&nbsp;pm, the [[Israeli Air Force]] attacked Jordan's two airbases. The Hawker Hunters were refueling at the time of the attack. The Israeli aircraft attacked in two waves, the first of which cratered the runways and knocked out the control towers, and the second wave destroyed all 21 of Jordan's Hawker Hunter fighters, along with six transport aircraft and two helicopters. One Israeli jet was shot down by ground fire.{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|pp=187–188}}

Three Israeli [[Sud Aviation Vautour|Vautours]] also attacked [[H-3 Air Base|H-3]], an airfield in western Iraq used by the [[Iraqi Air Force]]. During the attack, three MiG-21s, one Hunter, one [[de Havilland Dove]] and one [[Antonov An-12]] were destroyed on the ground. They also damaged the runway, although it was repaired by the next morning.<ref>{{harvnb|Sipos|Cooper|2020|pages=67-68}}</ref> The Jordanian radar facility at [[Ajloun]] was also destroyed in an Israeli airstrike.{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|pp=187–188}}

Israeli [[Fouga Magister]] jets attacked the Jordanian 40th Brigade with rockets as it moved south from the [[Damia Bridge]]. Dozens of tanks were knocked out, and a convoy of 26 trucks carrying ammunition was destroyed. In Jerusalem, Israel responded to Jordanian shelling with a missile strike that devastated Jordanian positions. The Israelis used the L missile, a [[surface-to-surface]] missile developed jointly with [[France]] in secret.{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|pp=187–188}}

The next morning, three Iraqi Hawker Hunters attacked a group of tanks in the process of refueling next to the road between [[Nazareth]] and [[Haifa]]. An Iraqi [[Tupolev Tu-16]] also bombed a military installation 10 kilometers southeast of [[Afula]], killing two Israeli soldiers, while another attacked [[Netanya]] and [[Ramat David Airbase]], before being shot down near the Megiddo airfield. The aircraft crashed into a military storage complex hidden in a forest, killing its crew and 16 Israeli soldiers.<ref name="GSHaaretz" /> Four Israeli Vautours escorted by two Mirages re-attacked the H-3 airfield, resulting in one Hunter crashing on take-off, and a Hunter and a MiG-21 being damaged in air combat.<ref>{{harvnb|Sipos|Cooper|2020|pages=69-72}}</ref>

On 7 June, four Vautours escorted by four Mirages attacked the H-3 airfield for the third time. This resulted in an air combat with Hunters, piloted by Iraqis, as well as a Jordanian and Pakistani pilot [[Saiful Azam]]. One Iraqi Hunter was shot down and its pilot killed, while the Israelis lost two Vautours and one Mirage, with three crewmen dead and two taken prisoner.<ref name="GSHaaretz">{{cite web|url=https://www.haaretz.com/2002-09-20/ty-article/the-gathering-storm/0000017f-dede-d856-a37f-ffde638c0000|title=The Gathering Storm|work=Haaretz|date=20 September 2002|first=Amir|last=Oren|quote=A pilot and two navigators were killed, and two pilots - Gideon Dror and Yitzhak Golan - were taken prisoner. |ref=none}}</ref>

==== Jordanian battalion at Government House ====
[[File:Ammunition Hill Museum Exhibits P1010036.JPG|thumb|upright|Israeli paratroopers flush out Jordanian soldiers from trenches during the [[Battle of Ammunition Hill]].]]

A Jordanian battalion advanced up Government House ridge and dug in at the perimeter of Government House, the headquarters of the United Nations observers,<ref name="UNISPAL1347">{{Cite web |url=https://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/CD0BEBA6A1E28EFF0525672800567B2C |title=United Nations June 5, 1967 |publisher=United Nations |access-date=1 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111226202011/http://unispal.un.org/UNISPAL.NSF/0/CD0BEBA6A1E28EFF0525672800567B2C |archive-date=26 December 2011 }}</ref>{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|p=187}}{{Sfnp|Shlaim|2007|p=245}} and opened fire on Ramat Rachel, the Allenby Barracks and the Jewish section of [[Abu Tor]] with mortars and recoilless rifles. UN observers fiercely protested the incursion into the neutral zone, and several manhandled a Jordanian machine gun out of Government House after the crew had set it up in a second-floor window. After the Jordanians occupied [[Jabel Mukaber]], an advance patrol was sent out and approached Ramat Rachel, where they came under fire from four civilians, including the wife of the director, who were armed with old Czech-made weapons.{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|pp=188–189}}<ref>{{Cite web|author=Eric Hammel|date=1992 |url=http://www.pacificamilitary.com/books/f-sixDaysInJune.html |title=The Jordanians Attack West Jerusalem |website=Pacifica Military History |access-date=1 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308234307/http://www.pacificamilitary.com/books/f-sixDaysInJune.html |archive-date=8 March 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

The immediate Israeli response was an offensive to retake Government House and its ridge. The Jerusalem Brigade's Reserve Battalion 161, under Lieutenant-Colonel Asher Dreizin, was given the task. Dreizin had two infantry companies and eight tanks under his command, several of which broke down or became stuck in the mud at Ramat Rachel, leaving three for the assault. The Jordanians mounted fierce resistance, knocking out two tanks.{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|pp=191–192}}

The Israelis broke through the compound's western gate and began clearing the building with grenades, before General [[Odd Bull]], commander of the UN observers, compelled the Israelis to hold their fire, telling them that the Jordanians had already fled. The Israelis proceeded to take the Antenna Hill, directly behind Government House, and clear out a series of bunkers to the west and south. The fighting often conducted hand-to-hand, continued for nearly four hours before the surviving Jordanians fell back to trenches held by the Hittin Brigade, which were steadily overwhelmed. By 6:30&nbsp;am, the Jordanians had retreated to [[Bethlehem]], having suffered about 100 casualties. All but ten of Dreizin's soldiers were casualties, and Dreizin himself was wounded three times.{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|pp=191–192}}

==== Israeli invasion ====
{{Further|Battle of Ammunition Hill}}
[[File:Ammunition Hill Museum Exhibits P1010039.JPG|thumb|upright|Silhouette of Israeli paratroops advancing on Ammunition Hill]]
During the late afternoon of 5 June, the Israelis launched an offensive to encircle Jerusalem, which lasted into the following day. During the night, they were supported by intense tank, artillery and mortar fire to soften up Jordanian positions. Searchlights placed atop the Labor Federation building, then the tallest in Israeli Jerusalem, exposed and blinded the Jordanians. The Jerusalem Brigade moved south of Jerusalem, while the mechanized [[Harel Brigade]] and [[55th Paratroopers Brigade]] under [[Mordechai Gur]] encircled it from the north.{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|p=222}}

A combined force of tanks and paratroopers crossed [[No man's land#Israel–Jordan|no-man's land]] near the [[Mandelbaum Gate]]. Gur's 66th paratroop battalion approached the fortified Police Academy. The Israelis used [[Bangalore torpedo]]es to blast their way through [[barbed wire]] leading up to the position while exposed and under heavy fire. With the aid of two tanks borrowed from the Jerusalem Brigade, they captured the Police Academy. After receiving reinforcements, they moved up to attack [[Battle of Ammunition Hill|Ammunition Hill]].{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|p=222}}<ref name="Jordanian Front">{{Cite web|url=https://www.sixdaywar.org/war/the-jordanian-front/|title=The Jordanian Front}}</ref>

The Jordanian defenders, who were heavily dug-in, fiercely resisted the attack. All of the Israeli officers except for two company commanders were killed, and the fighting was mostly led by individual soldiers. The fighting was conducted at [[Close-quarters combat|close quarters]] in trenches and bunkers and was often hand-to-hand. The Israelis captured the position after four hours of heavy fighting. During the battle, 36 Israeli and 71 Jordanian soldiers were killed.{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|p=222}}<ref name="Jordanian Front" /> Even after the fighting on Ammunition Hill had ended, Israeli soldiers were forced to remain in the trenches due to Jordanian sniper fire from [[Givat HaMivtar]] until the [[Harel Brigade]] overran that outpost in the afternoon.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jewishtoronto.com/page.aspx?id=65548|title=Memories from Ammunition Hill|date=2 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140102192104/http://www.jewishtoronto.com/page.aspx?id=65548|archive-date=2 January 2014}}</ref>

The 66th battalion subsequently drove east, and linked up with the Israeli enclave on [[Mount Scopus]] and its [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem|Hebrew University]] campus. Gur's other battalions, the 71st and 28th captured the other Jordanian positions around the [[American Colony, Jerusalem|American Colony]], despite being short on men and equipment and having come under a Jordanian mortar bombardment while waiting for the signal to advance.{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|p=222}}<ref name="Jordanian Front" />

At the same time, the IDF's 4th Brigade attacked the fortress at [[Latrun]], which the Jordanians had abandoned due to heavy Israeli tank fire. The mechanized [[Harel Brigade]] attacked [[Har Adar]], but seven tanks were knocked out by mines, forcing the infantry to mount an assault without armored cover. The Israeli soldiers advanced under heavy fire, jumping between rocks to avoid mines and the fighting was conducted at close quarters with knives and bayonets.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

The Jordanians fell back after a battle that left two Israeli and eight Jordanian soldiers dead, and Israeli forces advanced through [[Beth-Horon|Beit Horon]] towards [[Ramallah]], taking four fortified villages along the way. By the evening, the brigade arrived in Ramallah. Meanwhile, the 163rd Infantry Battalion secured [[Abu Tor]] following a fierce battle, severing the Old City from Bethlehem and Hebron.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

Meanwhile, 600 Egyptian commandos stationed in the West Bank moved to attack Israeli airfields. Led by Jordanian intelligence scouts, they crossed the border and began infiltrating through Israeli settlements towards [[Ramla]] and [[Hatzor]]. They were soon detected and sought shelter in nearby fields, which the Israelis set on fire. Some 450 commandos were killed, and the remainder escaped to Jordan.{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|p=203}}

From the American Colony, the [[paratroopers]] moved towards the Old City. Their plan was to approach it via the lightly defended Salah al-Din Street but made a wrong turn onto the heavily defended Nablus Road and ran into fierce resistance. Their tanks fired at point-blank range down the street, while the paratroopers mounted repeated charges. Despite repelling repeated Israeli charges, the Jordanians gradually gave way to Israeli firepower and momentum. The Israelis suffered some 30 casualties – half the original force – while the Jordanians lost 45 dead and 142 wounded.{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|pp=222–223}}

Meanwhile, the Israeli 71st Battalion breached barbed wire and minefields and emerged near Wadi Joz, near the base of Mount Scopus, from where the Old City could be cut off from Jericho and East Jerusalem from Ramallah. Israeli artillery targeted the one remaining route from Jerusalem to the West Bank, and shellfire deterred the Jordanians from counterattacking from their positions at Augusta-Victoria. An Israeli detachment then captured the [[Rockefeller Museum]] after a brief skirmish.{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|pp=222–223}}

Afterwards, the Israelis broke through to the Jerusalem-Ramallah road. At Tel al-Ful, the Harel Brigade fought a running battle with up to thirty Jordanian tanks. The Jordanians stalled the advance and destroyed some half-tracks, but the Israelis launched air attacks and exploited the vulnerability of the external fuel tanks mounted on the Jordanian tanks. The Jordanians lost half their tanks, and retreated towards [[Jericho]]. Joining up with the 4th Brigade, the Israelis then descended through [[Shuafat]] and the site of what is now [[French Hill (neighborhood)|French Hill]], through Jordanian defenses at Mivtar, emerging at Ammunition Hill.{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|p=224}}

[[File:Ammunition Hill Museum Exhibits P1010035.JPG|thumb|An Israeli airstrike near the Augusta-Victoria Hospital]]
With Jordanian defenses in Jerusalem crumbling, elements of the Jordanian 60th Brigade and an infantry battalion were sent from Jericho to reinforce Jerusalem. Its original orders were to repel the Israelis from the Latrun corridor, but due to the worsening situation in Jerusalem, the brigade was ordered to proceed to Jerusalem's Arab suburbs and attack [[Mount Scopus]]. Parallel to the brigade were infantrymen from the Imam Ali Brigade, who were approaching [[Al-Issawiya|Issawiya]]. The brigades were spotted by Israeli aircraft and decimated by rocket and cannon fire. Other Jordanian attempts to reinforce Jerusalem were beaten back, either by armored ambushes or airstrikes.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

Fearing damage to holy sites and the prospect of having to fight in built-up areas, Dayan ordered his troops not to enter the Old City.{{Sfnp|Shlaim|2007|p=244}} He also feared that Israel would be subjected to a fierce international backlash and the outrage of Christians worldwide if it forced its way into the Old City. Privately, he told [[David Ben-Gurion]] that he was also concerned over the prospect of Israel capturing Jerusalem's holy sites, only to be forced to give them up under the threat of international sanctions.{{citation needed|date=June 2022}}

==== The West Bank ====
Israel was to gain almost total control of the West Bank by the evening of 7 June,{{Sfnp|Mutawi|2002|p=138}} and began its [[military occupation]] of the West Bank on that day, issuing a military order, the "Proclamation Regarding Law and Administration (The West Bank Area) (No. 2)—1967", which established the military government in the West Bank and granted the commander of the area full legislative, executive, and judicial power.<ref name="Weill2014">{{citation|author=Sharon Weill|title=The Role of National Courts in Applying International Humanitarian Law|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bDnnAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA19|date=February 2014|publisher=OUP Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-968542-4|page=19|access-date=30 November 2018|archive-date=17 May 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240517180340/https://books.google.com/books?id=bDnnAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA19#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=weill2007 /> Jordan had realised that it had no hope of defense as early as the morning of 6 June, just a day after the conflict had begun.{{Sfnp|Mutawi|2002|pp=138-139}} At Nasser's request, Egypt's [[Abdul Munim Riad]] sent a situation update at midday on 6 June:{{Sfnp|Mutawi|2002|p=138}}

<blockquote>The situation on the West Bank is rapidly deteriorating. A concentrated attack has been launched on all axes, together with heavy fire, day and night. Jordanian, Syrian and Iraqi air forces in position H3 have been virtually destroyed. Upon consultation with King Hussein I have been asked to convey to you the following choices:
: 1. A political decision to cease fighting to be imposed by a third party (the USA, the Soviet Union or the Security Council).
: 2. To vacate the West Bank tonight.
: 3. To go on fighting for one more day, resulting in the isolation and destruction of the entire Jordanian Army.
King Hussein has asked me to refer this matter to you for an immediate reply.</blockquote>

An Egyptian order for Jordanian forces to withdraw across the Jordan River was issued at 10 am on 6 June; that afternoon King Hussein learned of the impending [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 233]] and decided instead to hold out in the hope that a ceasefire would be implemented soon. It was already too late, as the counter-order caused confusion and in many cases, it was not possible to regain positions that had been left.{{Sfnp|Mutawi|2002|p=139}}

[[File:צנחנים בכותל המערבי.jpg|thumb|upright|[[David Rubinger]]'s [[Paratroopers at the Western Wall|iconic photograph]] of [[Israel Defense Forces|IDF]] paratroopers at [[Jerusalem]]'s [[Western Wall]] shortly after its capture. The soldiers in the foreground are (from left) Zion Karasenti, Yitzhak Yifat, and [[Haim Oshri]].]]
On 7 June, Dayan ordered his troops not to enter the Old City but, upon hearing that the UN was about to declare a ceasefire, he changed his mind, and without cabinet clearance, decided to capture it.{{Sfnp|Shlaim|2007|p=244}} Two paratroop battalions attacked Augusta-Victoria Hill, high ground overlooking the Old City from the east. One battalion attacked from Mount Scopus, and another attacked from the valley between it and the Old City. Another paratroop battalion, personally led by Gur, broke into the Old City and was joined by the other two battalions after their missions were complete. The paratroopers met little resistance. The fighting was conducted solely by the paratroopers; the Israelis did not use armor during the battle out of fear of severe damage to the Old City.

In the north, a battalion from Peled's division checked Jordanian defenses in the Jordan Valley. A brigade from Peled's division captured the western part of the West Bank. One brigade attacked Jordanian artillery positions around [[Jenin]], which were shelling [[Ramat David Airbase]]. The Jordanian 12th Armored Battalion, which outnumbered the Israelis, held off repeated attempts to capture Jenin. Israeli air attacks took their toll, and the Jordanian [[M48 Patton]]s, with their external fuel tanks, proved vulnerable at short distances, even to the Israeli-modified Shermans. Twelve Jordanian tanks were destroyed, and only six remained operational.{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|p=203}}

Just after dusk, Israeli reinforcements arrived. The Jordanians continued to fiercely resist, and the Israelis were unable to advance without artillery and air support. One Israeli jet attacked the Jordanian commander's tank, wounding him and killing his radio operator and intelligence officer. The surviving Jordanian forces then withdrew to Jenin, where they were reinforced by the 25th Infantry Brigade. The Jordanians were effectively surrounded in Jenin.{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|p=203}}

Jordanian infantry and their three remaining tanks managed to hold off the Israelis until 4:00&nbsp;am, when three battalions arrived to reinforce them in the afternoon. The Jordanian tanks charged and knocked out multiple Israeli vehicles, and the tide began to shift. After sunrise, Israeli jets and artillery conducted a two-hour bombardment against the Jordanians. The Jordanians lost 10 dead and 250 wounded, and had only seven tanks left, including two without gas, and sixteen APCs. The Israelis then fought their way into Jenin and captured the city after fierce fighting.{{Sfnp|Oren|2002|p=219}}

After the Old City fell, the Jerusalem Brigade reinforced the paratroopers, and continued to the south, capturing [[Judea]] and [[Gush Etzion]]. [[Hebron]] was taken without any resistance.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Goren |first=Shlomo |title=With Might and Strength: An Autobiography |publisher=Toby Press LLC |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-59264-409-4 |pages=281}}</ref> Fearful that Israeli soldiers would exact retribution for the [[1929 Hebron massacre|1929 massacre]] of the city's Jewish community, Hebron's residents flew white sheets from their windows and rooftops.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Auerbach |first=Jerold |title=Hebron Jews: Memory and Conflict in the Land of Israel |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-7425-6615-6 |pages=82}}</ref> The Harel Brigade proceeded eastward, descending to the [[Jordan River]].
[[File:Flickr - Israel Defense Forces - Life of Lt. Gen. Yitzhak Rabin, 7th IDF Chief of Staff in photos (14).jpg|thumb|upright|From left, General [[Uzi Narkiss]], Defense Minister [[Moshe Dayan]], and Chief of Staff Lt. General [[Yitzhak Rabin]] in the Old City of Jerusalem after its fall to Israeli forces]]
On 7 June, Israeli forces seized [[Bethlehem]], taking the city after a brief battle that left some 40 Jordanian soldiers dead, with the remainder fleeing. On the same day, one of Peled's brigades seized [[Nablus]]; then it joined one of Central Command's armored brigades to fight the Jordanian forces; as the Jordanians held the advantage of superior equipment and were equal in numbers to the Israelis.

Again, the air superiority of the IAF proved paramount as it immobilized the Jordanians, leading to their defeat. One of Peled's brigades joined with its Central Command counterparts coming from Ramallah, and the remaining two blocked the Jordan river crossings together with the Central Command's 10th. [[Combat Engineering Corps|Engineering Corps]] sappers blew up the Abdullah and Hussein bridges with captured Jordanian mortar shells, while elements of the Harel Brigade crossed the river and occupied positions along the east bank to cover them, but quickly pulled back due to American pressure. The Jordanians, anticipating an Israeli offensive deep into Jordan, assembled the remnants of their army and Iraqi units in Jordan to protect the western approaches to [[Amman]] and the southern slopes of the [[Golan Heights]].

As Israel continued its offensive on 7 June, taking no account of the UN ceasefire resolution, the Egyptian-Jordanian command ordered a full Jordanian withdrawal for the second time, in order to avoid an annihilation of the Jordanian army.<ref name=Mutawi140>{{harvp|Mutawi|2002|p=140}}: "Shortly after the order for the withdrawal had been issued [10.00 a.m. on 6 June], the Jordanians were informed that the UN Security Council was meeting to consider a resolution for an unconditional ceasefire. On learning of this the Jordanian command decided that the order for withdrawal had been premature, since if a ceasefire went into effect that day they would still be in possession of the West Bank. Consequently, the order was countermanded and those forces which had already withdrawn were asked to return to their original positions... The Security Council ceasefire resolution was passed unanimously at 11.00 p.m. on 6 June. However, Jordan's hope that this would enable it to hold the West Bank was destroyed when Israel continued its offensive. On learning of this Riad once again ordered a complete withdrawal from the West Bank as he feared that failure to do so would result in the annihilation of the remains of the Jordanian Army. By nightfall on 7 June most elements of the army had withdrawn to the East Bank and by mid-day on 8 June Jordan was once again the Transjordan of King Abdullah, while Israel completed total occupation of historical Palestine."</ref> This was complete by nightfall on 7 June.<ref name=Mutawi140/>

After the Old City was captured, Dayan told his troops to "dig in" to hold it. When an armored brigade commander entered the West Bank on his own initiative, and stated that he could see [[Jericho]], Dayan ordered him back. It was only after intelligence reports indicated that Hussein had withdrawn his forces across the Jordan River that Dayan ordered his troops to capture the West Bank.{{Sfnp|Shlaim|2007|p=245}} According to Narkis:

<blockquote>First, the Israeli government had no intention of capturing the West Bank. On the contrary, it was opposed to it. Second, there was not any provocation on the part of the IDF. Third, the rein was only loosened when a real threat to Jerusalem's security emerged. This is truly how things happened on June 5, although it is difficult to believe. The result was something that no one had planned.{{Sfnp|Shlaim|2007|p=246}}</blockquote>