MIDDLE EAST SITUATION REPORT NUMBER 36 (AS OF 1700 EDT)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: Library of Congress
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): LOC-HAK-543-1-20-5
• Release Decision: RIPLIM
• Original Classification: T
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: January 11, 2017
• Document Release Date: February 28, 2011
• Sequence Number: 20
• Publication Date: October 14, 1973
• Content Type: MEMO

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'? No Objection to Declassification in Part 2011/02/28: LOC-HAK-543-1-20-5
CW` 1I AL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
1.4 -October 1973
INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM
MIDDLE EAST
.Situation Report-'Number 36
(As of 1700 EDT)
THE MILITARY SITUATION
GENERAL.
1. :Significant action ~hif teed to the, Sinai today as
the Egyptians launched a major offensive aldng their entire
fa:ontm ' Action was concentrated in the southern sector,
with the. Israelis reportedly inflicting heavy arrno. logse:
on the Ee .yptians . By late afternoon, Tel Aviv claimed that
fighting 'had . almost ceased as, the Egyptians were forced to
uri thdra,w o
2. On the Syrian frorit, the Israelis claimed Zew
advances, . axed the a.ituati;on is' ?aa6ically unchanged. The
Syrians and Trac is launched. local' counterattacks but report-
edly were repulsed. The Jordanian brigade has yet to see
action, while a Saudi brigade is approaching the Syrian
border.
EGYVTX.
AN ' 'Rf3NT
3. On the l,gyptLan from there ?~~as a day of intense
ground and- air a'ctivity., with ?-a minor naval engagement
noted in the Mediterranean near 'Alexandria. The Israelis
reported :that they had pushed back the Egyptian advance
on: all seiotors. Pn.rticula.rly heavy fighting ' apparently
took place in. the Mitla. pass area. According. to uncon-
firzned press reports, tho Xsraelis are-moving additional
j coops into .the Sinai Z'ron:t area..
JR
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4 ~3,a~ans Qf losse' were conflicting, .The''Xaraelia
repori over 204 Egyptian t&nks destroyEd and over 40Q enemy
troops cat Lured. According. to Egyptian .Y7tY">s 9uncerinta r bout
150 xsraeli tanks and 24 aircraft were destroyed Egypt
fMrther_ state.d that "new ar6, s of land along the entire
SYRIAN
F RON` ' ,
6. There is no major' tha.nge in. the situation along the
riaax front. ' Accorclin.g to., the Israeli, the lead: elements
o their forces advancing -toward Daxnaucus have halted in
the vicinity of Sasa, where' artillery duels were under way,,,.
Shelling of the uhurbs of Pamaacus continues a Israeli
forces: att-ompttnrj to envelop Syrian and Iraqi units on the'
south flank of. the maim' advance have also stopped net- r
Marr..a?:. Small unit counterattacks by Syrian and Iraqi forces
throughout- t:ht i ay 'have boon repulsed according to the
Israelis .. Syrian air activity was light during the ourse .
of t.e. day .
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 No Objection to Declassification in Part 2011/02/28: LOC-HAK-543-1-20-5
SOVIET 'POLITICAL DEVELOPMENTS
13. The US embassy in Moscow reports that on 10 October
`Novgsti Cor;'te}spondent- Ted Rtikhadze asked Hedrick Smith of
irok% Time's whether it would not be a good idea for
the agree to limit army shipments to the
Riddle Feat it order to contain the cotf1ict. ' Rukhadzo re-
marked that the germs limitation agr einont. was his own icWa'.
and died not :suggest that his- comments be passed to the Us
..(Smith adds that it was an associate.. of Rukhadxe's b,Iho had
hinted that the Moscow 'sunimtt meeting of 1972 would take
-place rtespite 'the US mining of Haiphong harbor.) The.US
entlsassy states that it has received no suggestions ' #roz?n
?offidial or unofficial Soviet sources which would indicate
an arms limitation agreement is under' consideration. ? The
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?25X1
press channel would not be an altogether unlikely channel
.for the Soviets.' to float a* trial balloon of this typal
.there are ample precedents, particularly during the Cuban
the Saudi Arabian brigade enroute to Syria passed through
Azrag Ln'; noeth-central Jo .'dan yesterday and-was expected to , .
reach 1i-5 Qf: the old Iraqi pipeline by sunrise this morning.
This' progress report would put the brigade far from the
.pyrian front with difficult terrain still to cross. Radio
broadcasts from Riyadh today -announcing the arrival of the. .
Saudi' brigade at th.e "Golan. weights front" thus appear sorme?-
what premature.
?
tnissi].e crisis in 1962.
SA.UD3 AR BT-
14. A ';senior Jordanian official reported yesterday that
' LT'hYA
15.: Libya is inovin.g 'el.r monts of th'e 4 rd Mechanized
Infantry Brigade to Tobruk, .the largest. L,byan city near
the Egyptr.an border.. Although it is still not clear
whether these units will proceed to Egypt,
JORDAK .
.:16., Yesterday's tension preceding and following the
announcergent of Jordan's troop commitment, to.Syria has boon
replaced -by .relative calm 'in Anunaii r according to the US
embassy.. The -Jordanians are satisfied.with the war news
but mindful. of their vulnerability now that Jordan is more
deeply committed. Amman airport. remains closed but the Syrian
border and the bridges to .the West Bank are open. The
emb .ssy. cited the open bridles-as evidence that the, commit-
meet of troops to Syria is: still to be regarded more as a
.gesture than a casus bolli,. The price of all Arab currencies
is' upr espec.ialT t~"e. ,8 x an pound. Gasoline is now under
the government's control and yesterday's food hoarding has
further depib:ted retail stocks. The press continues. to.
repeat storied of US re-supply of weapons to Israel but there
have: 'been no. editorial attacks on tho US. .
4,
25X1
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17: Prime Minister Rifai said privately today that
if Icing. Ftus ayn and Jordan are to have any credits L LL ty in
the Arab world after the present conflict, it La abaalutely
.. imperat .ve that the Jordanian army become actively involved.
He said Jordan "needs martyrs," pointing out that Jordanian
non"inv'olvoment while Syrian and Iraqi forces were taking
casualties :serves. n.o. political purpose. Me said he was
going t9 urge the King to commit the 80th brigade to 'actual
fit htirzg a and predicted that it would be in active counter-
-offensive operations by tonight. When asked if. rather brigades
would go. in. to assist thq 40th if it were badly cut up,
Rifai replied in the negative? saying Jordan had only pro-
alt iced to furnish one brigade and needed the ? remaining. units
to d efence - Jordan against possible Israeli attack. This is
only ono man's opinion; the informal council of war on -which
the Icing relics to help make decisions could go either way,
depending on the- mocxl of the moment a
SYRIA
l8. -IIespite reports` that' Damascus is "under siege''
with artillery fire and heavy air attacks hitting the out--
ski.rts, the* city is described as "surprisingly" normal.
The ? populataion is still calm, crowds are mingling, and shops
are open. The diplomatic community is not yet preparing
to evacuate. Vie Italian Embassy, however, reports that
it is finding it increasingly difficult to. carnf out its
function. of protecting US interests not only because of
tht ` dcterigr.ating security situation but also because of
heightened anti-CAS feelirig generated by reports of US
participation in combat alongside the .Israelis..
PAKISTAN ;
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 No Objection to Declassification in Part 2011/02/28: LOC-HAK-543-1-20-5
N..T GERITA
23 a Gen6ral ? Gowon of .Nigeria is roconsideriaxg
~L11~t r ? rel tiaizs with Israel. In. separate convershis
ations
with-the US. and Trraeli, amb&6sadors, Cowan strongly i'ndi.
dated he o~i.ii' sever -diplomatic ties with 'Tce-1 Aviv if Israel
beginq a rnajo offensi.veon? the Suez front, or if, Israel
? bombs civil i,'a.tl 'targets in Egypt. 'Gowon appealed to the us
not tc resupg1y Israel with. arms-. Pressures on Gowon from
within his ow 'n to-break relations have been
reinforced by' the gathering momentum o .the f ican
break-~witl ~,lstanl. m-zovament. Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon
"have n''
03f severed ties, bringfli to five the number of
1 fzic .rz states -to take such; action since the outbreak of
war, 'A freak; by Nigeria will* intensify the pressure an
Other .African states to f01 10-v7 suite
dare and r-
able influence, both because of his personal sl ~r sgetature and
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 No Objection to Declassification in Part 2011/02/28: LOC-HAK-543-1-20-5
11is. aositi.On as the current chairman of the OAU, of
Which Egypt is a inerctber
2 4 ~C~re ident Amin is now In Baghdad for talks with
i?he' Tr.a i, president, avcording to the local press. The next
stop on. his self-appointed round of' talks is to be Amman.
OIL MEETING.
5'. According ' to the Arab press ,. the Kuwaiti government
has: a.nnounnced that the err gency sea~iori ?o# the Organization
of. Arab' Pet re 1&ixm Exporting Countries (OA ?EC) called for
early last :week. will conyone in Xuwait on.Tuesday.
7.
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