Editing War of Attrition (section)

=== 1970 ===
[[File:Operation Rhodes. XII.jpg|thumb|Israeli paratroopers in action during [[Operation Rhodes]], 1970]]
* '''January 7, 1970''': Israel launched [[Operation Priha]], a series of air raids against military targets in the Egyptian heartland, as far as 100 miles from the canal. A total of 118 sorties were ultimately undertaken between January 7 and April 13. Also on January 7, a Soviet adviser to an Egyptian infantry brigade was killed in an Israeli attack.<ref name="Remez-Ginor">[[Gideon Remez|Remez, Gideon]] and Ginor, Isabella: ''The Soviet-Israeli War, 1967–1973: The USSR's Military Intervention in the Egyptian-Israeli Conflict''</ref>
* '''January 12, 1970''': Two Egyptian [[Sukhoi Su-7]] fighters were shot down by Israeli [[MIM-23 Hawk|Hawk]] missiles while attacking an Israeli base near Ras Sudar. Israel also reported that in the past days, Israeli forces killed 12 Arab guerrillas and captured four in a series of clashes in the [[Arabah]] region and [[Jordan Valley]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jta.org/archive/israel-reports-two-soviet-built-fighter-bombers-blasted-out-of-the-air|title=Israel Reports Two Soviet Built Fighter Bombers Blasted out of the Air|date=March 20, 2015 }}</ref>
* '''January 22, 1970''': With Egypt's air defense system having largely been devastated and the deep-penetration bombing raids hitting further into Egypt, President Nasser secretly flew to Moscow to discuss the situation. His request for new [[Surface-to-air missile|SAM]] batteries (including the [[2K12 Kub]] and [[9K32 Strela-2|Strela-2]]) was approved. Their deployment requires qualified personnel along with squadrons of aircraft to protect them. Thus, he needed [[Soviet Armed Forces|Soviet military]] personnel in large numbers, something the [[Moscow Kremlin|Kremlin]] did not want to provide. Nasser then threatens to resign, implying that Egypt might turn to the United States for help in the future. The Soviets had invested heavily in President Nasser's regime, and so, the Soviet leader, [[General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|General-Secretary]] [[Leonid Brezhnev]], finally obliged. The Soviet Union, which had already been increasing its military presence in Egypt from the summer of 1969 and deployed its first fighter jets in December of thar year, decided to greatly increase its military presence, deploying additional air defense units alongside fighter aircraft. The Soviet military intervention was codenamed Operation Kavkaz.<ref>Ashton, Nigel J.: ''The Cold War in the Middle East: Regional Conflict and the Superpowers 1967-73''</ref> The Soviet presence increased from 2,500 to 4,000 in January to 10,600–12,150 ground personnel plus 100–150 pilots by June 30.
[[File:SA-3 system.jpg|thumb|Soviet/Egyptian [[S-125 Neva/Pechora|S-125]] anti-aircraft type missiles in the Suez Canal vicinity]]
* '''January 22, 1970''': [[Operation Rhodes]]. Israeli paratroopers and naval commandos are transported by IAF [[Super Frelon]] helicopters to [[Shadwan Island]] where they capture the island and dismantle a British-made Egyptian [[Decca Radar|Decca radar]] and other military equipment for transport back to Israel before withdrawing. Meanwhile, Israeli fighter jets provide close air support and sink two Egyptian P-183 [[torpedo boat]]s approaching the island. An estimated 70 Egyptian soldiers were killed and 62 more were taken prisoner while the Israelis lost 3 killed and 7 wounded.<ref>Chaim Herzog, ''The Arab-Israeli Wars'', Random House New York (1982) p.214 {{ISBN|0-394-50379-1}}</ref>
* '''January 26, 1970''': Israeli aircraft attacked an Egyptian auxiliary ship in the Gulf of Suez, damaging it and causing it to ground on a reef.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jta.org/1970/01/26/archive/israel-air-force-jets-hit-a-120-ton-egyptian-navy-auxiliary-vessel-near-shadwan|title=Israel Air Force Jets Hit a 120-ton Egyptian Navy Auxiliary Vessel Near Shadwan|date=January 26, 1970}}</ref>
* '''January 28, 1970''': Israeli bombing was reported to have killed six Soviet personnel, three in an attack on a building in a suburb of Cairo that housed Soviet advisors and three in a SAM complex at Dashur.<ref>Remez and Ginor, p. 144</ref> Two months later, US National Security Advisor [[Henry Kissinger]] told Israeli ambassador to the US [[Yitzhak Rabin]] that 40 Soviet personnel had been killed in the bombing at Dashur.<ref name=fear>{{Cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/why-israels-fear-of-russia-in-syria-doesnt-have-to-drive-its-ukraine-policy/|title=Why Israel's fear of Russia in Syria doesn't have to drive its Ukraine policy|first=Lazar|last=Berman|website=www.timesofisrael.com}}</ref>
* '''February 1970''': Two Israeli auxiliary vessels were sabotaged by Egyptian frogmen in Eilat harbor. A supply ship sank while a coastal landing craft sustained damage but was beached by its crew before sinking. There were no casualties. In response, Israeli warplanes sank an Egyptian minelayer in the Gulf of Suez, carried out raids against Egyptian military positions in the canal zone, and struck two military targets deeper into Egyptian territory. Egyptian aircraft also raided Israeli positions along the Suez Canal, injuring three Israeli soldiers. Four days of fighting took place between Israeli and Syrian forces as well.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/02/07/archives/sabotage-of-2-israeli-vessels-is-followed-by-sinking-of-uar-ship-is.html|title=Sabotage of 2 Israeli Vessels Is Followed by Sinking of U.A.R. Ship|first=James Feron Special to The New York|last=Times|newspaper=The New York Times|date=February 7, 1970}}</ref><ref name="Naor">Mordechai Naor, ''The Twentieth Century In Eretz Israel'', Konemann (1996), 409</ref> Israeli fighter jets accidentally struck an industrial plant at [[Abu Zaabal]], killing 80 workers.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,878279-1,00.html|title=World: Middle East: In Cold Blood|date=1970-06-01|magazine=Time|access-date=2018-08-30|language=en-US|issn=0040-781X}}</ref>
* '''February 1970''': An Egyptian commando platoon attempts to set up an ambush in the vicinity of the [[Mitla Pass]] but is discovered. The entire unit is either killed or captured.{{sfn|Pollack|2002|page=95}}
* '''February 9, 1970''':  An air battle between Israeli and Egyptian warplanes takes place, with each side losing one plane.<ref name="acig" />
* '''March 15, 1970''': The first fully operational Soviet SAM site in Egypt was completed. It is part of three brigades which the Soviet Union sends to Egypt.<ref name="ACIG" /> Israeli [[F-4 Phantom II]] jets repeatedly bomb Egyptian positions.
* '''April 8, 1970''': The Israeli Air Force carried out bombing raids against targets identified as Egyptian military installations. A group of military bases about 30 kilometers from the Suez Canal was bombed. However, in what becomes known as the [[Bahr El-Baqar primary school bombing|Bahr el-Baqar incident]], Israeli [[F4 Phantom II]] fighter jets attack a single-floor school in the Egyptian town of Bahr el-Baqar, after it was mistaken for a military installation. The school is hit by five bombs and two air-to-ground missiles, killing 46 schoolchildren and injuring over 50.<ref>{{cite magazine | title=The Innocent Dead | date=April 20, 1970 | url =http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,944025,00.html | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20101030151335/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,944025,00.html | url-status =dead | archive-date =October 30, 2010 | magazine =Time | access-date =April 18, 2009 }}</ref><ref>^ "The War of Attrition as Reflected in Egyptian Sources" (1995), p. 107, by [[Mustafa Kabha]] (Hebrew)</ref> This incident put a definite end to Operation Priha, and the Israelis instead then concentrated on attacking Canal-side installations. The respite gave the Egyptians time to reconstruct their SAM batteries closer to the canal. Soviet MiG fighters provided the necessary air cover. Soviet pilots also began approaching IAF aircraft during April 1970, but Israeli pilots were given orders not to engage these aircraft and break off whenever Soviet-piloted MiGs appeared.
* '''April 1970''': the [[Kuwaiti Armed Forces]] suffered their first Kuwaiti fatality on the Egyptian front.<ref name="kuwait-history.net">[http://www.kuwait-history.net/vb/showthread.php?p=70299#post70299], Kuwait commemorates the return of 16 soldiers from the Yarmouk Brigade</ref>
* '''May 1970''': An Israeli fishing boat was sunk by the Egyptian Navy, killing two of its crew. The Israeli Air Force launched a heavy series of bombing raids against Egyptian targets throughout the canal zone and shot down five Egyptian warplanes. Israeli aircraft sank an Egyptian destroyer and minelayer. Two Israeli soldiers were killed by Egyptian shelling and a civilian Israeli frogman was also killed by explosives planted by Egyptian frogmen while removing underwater wreckage at the port of Eilat.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jta.org/1970/05/18/archive/israelis-in-heaviest-assault-on-egyptian-targets-2-israeli-soldiers-killed-13-wounded|title=Israelis in Heaviest Assault on Egyptian Targets; 2 Israeli Soldiers Killed, 13 Wounded|date=May 18, 1970}}</ref> During the final days of the month, the IAF launched major air raids against [[Port Said]], believing a large amphibious force is assembling in the town. On the 16th an Israeli aircraft was shot down in air combat, probably by a MiG-21.<ref>Nicolle and Cooper, 32</ref>
* '''May 3, 1970''': Twenty-one Palestinian guerrillas were killed by Israeli troops in the [[Jordan Valley (Middle East)|Jordan Valley]].<ref name="Naor" />
* '''May 20, 1970''': Israeli troops repulsed an Egyptian commando raid in the canal zone. The Egyptian raiding party retreated under cover of Egyptian artillery fire and Israeli forces responded with artillery fire and airstrikes. Seven of the Egyptian commandos were killed and the Israeli account claimed that the Egyptians also suffered casualties from Israeli retaliatory shelling and airstrikes. Israeli losses were two killed and one injured. Israeli and Jordanian forces also exchanged mortar fire in the northern Beisan Valley.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jta.org/1970/05/20/archive/israeli-forces-repulse-egyptian-commando-raid-two-israeli-soldiers-killed-one-wounded|title=Israeli Forces Repulse Egyptian Commando Raid; Two Israeli Soldiers Killed, One Wounded|date=May 20, 1970}}</ref>
* '''May 30, 1970''': 15 Israeli soldiers were killed, 8 were wounded, and 2 were presumed captured on the same day in three separate ambushes. Israeli armored patrols were ambushed twice on the Suez Canal by Egyptian troops, resulting in 13 Israeli soldiers dead, 4 wounded, and 2 missing and presumed taken prisoner. In the Jordan Valley, north of Jericho, an army patrol was ambushed by Arab guerrillas, resulting in 2 dead and 4 wounded. It was not known whether the clashes resulted in any Arab casualties.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0u5LAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7OwDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2112%2C7161 Israeli Losses Confirmed], ''The Spokesman-Review''</ref> In response, Israeli warplanes launched a massive bombing campaign against the [[Port Said]] area. Soviet warships were present and some fired on the Israeli planes. Several Soviet naval personnel were killed when shrapnel from the bombing hit a Soviet warship.<ref>Remez and Ginor, pp. 167-168</ref>
* '''June 1970''': An Israeli armored raid on Syrian military positions resulted in "hundreds of Syrian casualties."<ref name="autogenerated1" />
* '''June 25, 1970''': An Israeli [[A-4 Skyhawk]], in an attack sortie against Egyptian forces on the Canal, was attacked and pursued by a pair of Soviet [[MiG-21]]s into Sinai. According to the Soviets, the plane was shot down, while the Israelis said it was damaged and forced to land at a nearby airbase.<ref name="ACIG">{{cite web
| url = http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_263.shtml
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040606122226/http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_263.shtml
| url-status = usurped
| archive-date = June 6, 2004
| title = War of Attrition
| last = Cooper
| first = Tom
| date = September 24, 2003
| publisher = Air Combat Information Group
| access-date =March 7, 2007
}}</ref>
* '''June 27, 1970''': The EAF continued to launch air raids across the canal. On June 27 around eight Egyptian [[Su-7]]s and MiG-21s attacked Israeli rear areas in Sinai. According to Israel, two Egyptian aircraft were shot down. An Israeli Mirage was shot down, and the pilot was captured.<ref>Nicolle and Cooper, 33</ref>
* '''June 1970''': The [[Kuwaiti Armed Forces]] suffered sixteen fatalities on the Egyptian front.<ref name="kuwait-history.net" />
* '''June 30, 1970''': Soviet air defenses shot down two Israeli F-4 Phantoms. Two pilots and a navigator are captured, while a second navigator is rescued by helicopter the following night.<ref name="acig" />
* '''July 18, 1970''': A force of 24 Israeli [[McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II|F-4 Phantom]] fighter jets attacked SAM batteries in Egypt, destroying all the targeted batteries and killing eight Soviet personnel. One Israeli F-4 Phantom was shot down and another was severely damaged but managed to return to base.<ref>Remez and Ginor, pg. 183</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/26eaf718f87d7a7fdf911544068180c5|title=Newspaper: Soviets in Egypt Downed 21 Israeli Planes in 1970|website=AP NEWS}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.iaf.org.il/9283-52302-en/IAF.aspx|title=The Israeli Air Force : 50 Years since Operation "Etgar" (Challenge)|website=www.iaf.org.il}}</ref>
* '''July 30, 1970''': A large-scale dogfight occurred between Israeli and Soviet aircraft, codenamed ''[[Operation Rimon 20|Rimon 20]]'', involving 12 to 24 Soviet MiG-21s (besides the initial 12, other MiGs were "scrambled", but it is unclear if they reached the battle in time), and 12 Israeli [[Dassault Mirage III]]s and four [[F-4 Phantom II]] jets. The engagement took place west of the Suez Canal. After luring their opponents into an ambush, the Israelis shot down five of the Soviet MiGs. Four Soviet pilots were killed, while the IAF suffered no losses except a damaged Mirage.<ref name="ACIG" /><ref name="shalom">Shalom, Danny (2007). Phantoms over Cairo – Israeli Air Force in the War of Attrition (1967–1970) (in Hebrew), pp. 1064-1065</ref>
* '''August 3, 1970''': The Soviets responded by luring Israeli fighter jets into a counter-ambush.<ref>Sachar, Howard: ''Israel and Europe: An Appraisal in History'', pp. 171–172</ref> Dummy missile batteries had been set up to lure Israeli fighter jets in while the real missiles were concealed. When the Israeli attack came, one Israeli F-4 Phantom was shot down and another was hit but managed to return to base.<ref>Remez and Ginor, p. 212-213</ref><ref>Asaf, Kremer Michal: ''Golda Meir's Foreign Decision-Making Process: An Analysis'', p.112</ref>
* '''Early August, 1970''': Despite their losses, the Soviets and Egyptians managed to press the air defenses closer to the canal. The batteries allowed the Egyptians to move in artillery which in turn threatened the Bar Lev Line. Following the Soviets' direct intervention, known as "Operation Kavkaz",<ref name="ACIG" /> Washington feared an escalation and redoubled efforts toward a peaceful resolution to the conflict.
* '''August 7, 1970''': A cease-fire agreement was reached, forbidding either side from changing "the military status quo within zones extending 50&nbsp;kilometers to the east and west of the cease-fire line."  Minutes after the cease-fire, Egypt began moving SAM batteries into the zone even though the agreement explicitly forbade new military installations.<ref name="dunstan" />  By October there were approximately one hundred SAM sites in the zone.
* '''September 28, 1970''': President Nasser died of a heart attack, and was succeeded by Vice President [[Anwar Sadat]].