Editing Yom Kippur War (section)

===Arab military intervention===
As the Syrian position deteriorated, Jordan sent an expeditionary force into Syria. King Hussein, who had come under intense pressure to enter the war, told Israel of his intentions through U.S. intermediaries, in the hope that Israel would accept that this was not a [[casus belli]] justifying an attack on Jordan. Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan declined to offer any such assurance, but said that Israel had no intention of opening another front.{{sfnp|Rabinovich|2004|p=433}} [[Iraq]] also sent an expeditionary force to Syria, consisting of the [[3rd Division (Iraq)|3rd]] and [[6th Division (Iraq)|6th Armoured Divisions]], some 30,000 men, 250–500 tanks, and 700 APCs.<ref name="tlas">{{cite web|first=Hamid |last=Hussain |url=http://www.defencejournal.com/2002/nov/4th-round.htm |title=Opinion: The Fourth round&nbsp;– A Critical Review of 1973 Arab–Israeli War |date=November 2002 |work=Defence Journal |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116071541/http://www.defencejournal.com/2002/nov/4th-round.htm |archive-date=16 January 2009}}</ref>{{sfnp|Rabinovich|2004|p=314}}<ref>{{harvp|Pollack|2002|p=167}} gives total numbers for the Iraqi force by the end of the conflict as 60,000 men, more than 700 T-55 tanks, 500 APCs, more than 200 artillery pieces, two armored divisions, two infantry brigades, twelve artillery battalions, and a special forces brigade.</ref> Israeli jets attacked Iraqi forces as they arrived in Syria.<ref name="Dunstan">Dunstan, Simon: ''The Yom Kippur War: The Arab–Israeli War of 1973''{{page needed|date=January 2012}}</ref>

The Iraqi divisions were a strategic surprise for the IDF, which had expected 24-hour-plus advance intelligence of such moves. This turned into an operational surprise, as the Iraqis attacked the exposed southern flank of the advancing Israeli armor, forcing its advance units to retreat a few kilometres in order to prevent encirclement. Combined Syrian, Iraqi and Jordanian counterattacks prevented any further Israeli gains. However, they were unable to push the Israelis back from the Bashan salient, and suffered heavy losses in their engagements with the Israelis. The most effective attack took place on 20 October, though Arab forces lost 120 tanks in that engagement.<ref name="Dunstan" />

The [[Syrian Air Force]] attacked Israeli columns, but its operations were highly limited because of Israeli air superiority, and it suffered heavy losses in dogfights with Israeli jets. On 23 October, a large air battle took place near Damascus during which the Israelis shot down 10 Syrian aircraft. The Syrians claimed a similar toll against Israel.<ref>[http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB98/octwar-59.pdf Situation Report in the Middle East as of 1200 EDT, 23 October 1973], Department of State Operations Center</ref> The IDF also destroyed the Syrian missile defense system. The Israeli Air Force utilized its air superiority to attack strategic targets throughout Syria, including important power plants, petrol supplies, bridges and main roads. The strikes weakened the Syrian war effort, disrupted Soviet efforts to airlift military equipment into Syria, and disrupted normal life inside the country.<ref>{{cite web |first=Noam |last=Ophir |script-title=he:צילו הארוך של הסקאד |trans-title=The Long Shadow of the Scud |publisher=Israeli Air Force Official Website |date=October 2006 |url=http://www.iaf.org.il/1779-26839-he/IAF.aspx |language=he |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101214854/http://www.iaf.org.il/1779-26839-he/IAF.aspx |archive-date=1 January 2016}}</ref>

On 22 October, the [[Golani Brigade]] and [[Sayeret Matkal]] commandos recaptured the outpost on Mount Hermon, after a [[Third Battle of Mount Hermon|hard-fought battle]] that involved hand-to-hand combat and Syrian sniper attacks. An unsuccessful attack two weeks prior had cost the Israelis 23 dead and 55 wounded and the Syrians 29 dead and 11 wounded, while this second attack cost Israel an additional 55 dead and 79 wounded.{{sfnp|Rabinovich|2004|p=450}} An unknown number of Syrians were also killed and some were taken prisoner. An [[IDF Caterpillar D9|IDF D9 bulldozer]] supported by infantry forced its way to the peak. An Israeli paratroop force landing by helicopter took the corresponding Syrian Hermon outposts on the mountain, killing more than a dozen Syrians while losing one dead and four wounded. Seven Syrian MiGs and two Syrian helicopters carrying reinforcements were shot down as they attempted to intercede.{{sfnp|Rabinovich|2004|pp=450–451}}